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News
COP26 house to showcase fabric first, low carbon build methods
A new demonstration house currently being erected in Glasgow in advance of this year’s COP26 climate conference will showcase build systems and methods for achieving zero carbon housing to the world.
Architects call for urgent climate action ahead of COP 26
Ahead of the Built Environment Summit (28-29 October) and COP26 (1-12 November), the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Architects Declare have published a report demonstrating the critical role the sector must play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
#BuildingLife: “Regulation of whole life carbon is key”, says Steve Murphy of Hines
In the #BuildingLife ambassador spotlight series, Passive House Plus is profiling leaders who have endorsed the Irish Green Building Council’s call to address the environmental impacts of buildings across their life-cycle..
Draft development plan guidelines a “retrograde step”
The Department of Housing has come under criticism for draft guidelines which would prevent local authorities from setting sustainable building targets for buildings as a planning condition, with the passive house standard and low carbon cement directly referenced.
EPA launches new green procurement guides
The government has launched new guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency aimed at greening public procurement.
Passive house celebrates 30th birthday at international conference
The Passive House Institute celebrated the low energy standard’s 30th birthday at the 25th International Passive House Conference in September. Around seven hundred participants registered for the conference, which mostly took place online due to Covid.
International passive house conference kicks off
The winners of the international Passive House Award will be announced on Friday 10 September as part of the 25th International Passive House Conference, which is fully available online. Tickets to the conference are still available.
Growing use of CO2 monitors to slow Covid spread
While the Irish government is delivering CO2 monitors to schools to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, and some European regions have mandated the use of such monitors in all buildings open to the public, the UK has yet to introduce such measures and has removed the requirement for mask-wearing in schools.
Passive House Plus editor to speak at TEDx
Passive House Plus editor Jeff Colley will be speaking at the TEDx Tralee event on 15 October.
Passive house turns 30
The passive house standard is celebrating its 30th birthday this year. The world’s first passive houses were built in Darmstadt, Germany in 1991.
Thermal breaks webinar - watch online
On June 8, 2021 Passive House Plus, in association with Farrat, chaired a hugely informative roundtable on thermal breaks. If you missed it, the video can now be viewed online.
Munster Joinery publishes first Irish window EPD
Munster Joinery has published the first environmental product declaration (EPD) for a window under the Irish EPD system.
Marketplace news
Grant invests in biofuel tech for oil boilers
Leading Irish heating appliance manufacturer Grant has invested over €250,000 in enabling the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in traditional oil boilers.
22-10-2021 Marketplace
Tackling the retrofit skills shortage head on
The National Construction Training Centre in County Laois is aiming to meet the challenge of training the huge number of skilled workers needed for Ireland’s planned housebuilding and deep retrofitting programmes.
22-10-2021 Marketplace
Waterford Stanley launch monobloc heat pumps
Waterford Stanley will launch a new range of monobloc air-to-water heat pumps this November.
22-10-2021 Marketplace
Mannok named one of Ireland’s best managed companies
Mannok was named as one of Ireland’s best managed companies at a virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, 8 September.
22-10-2021 Marketplace
Zyle Fenster now using Triotherm thermal brackets
Waterford-based high-performance window supplier and installer Zyle Fenster Ireland is now offering Triotherm thermal brackets from Prodomo Ireland as standard under door thresholds on all of its projects.
Pat Cox appointed chair of Ecocem
Low carbon cement company Ecocem has announced the appointment of Pat Cox, former TD and president of the European Parliament, as chair of Ecocem Group.
Aluclad windows offer numerous advantages: Prestige Aluclad
Anyone looking to purchase new windows could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer choice on the market, and nowhere is this more evident that when it comes to choice of materials.
Ecological Building Systems launch Thermo Hemp Combi Jute insulation
Ecological Building Systems have launched Thermo Hemp Combi Jute insulation in Ireland and the UK.
Daikin launches new hot water heat pump
Daikin Europe has launched the Daikin Altherma M HW, its second generation domestic hot water heat pump.
Efficient ventilation key to healthier indoor spaces – Partel
Partel, specialist in developing sustainable building envelope materials, is aiming to raise awareness of the key role of efficient ventilation for safer and healthier indoor living spaces.
New app for remote control of Nilan Compact P
Nilan has developed a new app that allows users to control their ventilation system and heat pump directly from their mobile phone. The feature now comes as standard on all…
Ecological seminar tackles embodied carbon ‘blind spot’
Ecological Building Systems recently hosted a series of thought-provoking presentations on the topic of going beyond NZEB and addressing the carbon blind spot of the construction industry: embodied carbon.
Ecocel on site with 56 homes in Cork
Irish cellulose insulation manufacturer Ecocel is currently on site completing the installation of its cellulose insulation to a new social housing development in County Cork.
Wicklow company makes eco-board from food packaging
The construction and demolition sector is among the top waste producing industries in Ireland, generating close to 1.5 million tonnes per year, excluding soil and stone.
Grant heat pumps at centre of NI energy transition project
Leading heating technology manufacturer Grant will be supporting Ulster University and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) in their RULET – Rural-Led Energy Transition – initiative, aimed at reducing or eliminating the risk of low-income households…
Prodomo offer certified thermal brackets for windows and doors
Sustainable building product supplier Prodomo Ireland is now supplying Triotherm thermal brackets for windows and doors to the Irish market.
Roll out CO2 sensors to slow spread of Covid-19 – NuWave Sensors
There has been growing focus in recent weeks on the use of CO2 monitors to help slow the spread of Covid-19, after the government announced at the end of May that it…
Exhaust air heat pumps prove ideal for social housing — Unipipe
Leading renewable heating supplier Unipipe says there has been a large increase in demand for exhaust air heat pumps for new local authority housing schemes.
Tarimatec eco decking & finishes now available in Ireland
Avantgard Agents, a leading supplier of porcelain and ceramics, is the new Irish agent for the Tarimatec range of sustainable decking, cladding and internal finishes.
Beam launch new app for easy heat recovery control
The new Beam VentSmart app for the Axco Counterflow range of MVHR units is now available. Beam said that the app has been designed to make control of its heat…
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Blogs
Measuring humidity, the old school way
A chance purchase on eBay leads buildings physics expert Toby Cambray to admire the aesthetics and mechanics of old scientific instruments.
Shooting the moon
The concept of building back better and greener, popular early in the pandemic, is now in danger of being abandoned in the rush to return to ‘normal’ — but we always have the power to shape what normal is, writes Dr Peter Rickaby.
1970s Arkansas & Illinois prototypes: progress towards passive house
In his latest column, Dr Marc O’Riain looks back at two American prototypes for the passive house standard that embraced heat pump technology as well as principles of superinsulation and airtightness.
Is Enerphit the key to decarbonising existing homes?
With increasing attention turning to cutting carbon emissions from existing homes to meet carbon reduction targets, Duncan Smith, housing asset and energy strategy manager at Renfrewshire County Council in Scotland, argues that approaches which improve comfort and dramatically reduce energy bills must be front and centre.
Planning for passive
It’s time to make the passive house standard a requirement of local development plans across Ireland, says Mel Reynolds.
Do your walls behave like a Jaffa Cake?
Toby Cambray writes on the many lessons that the inimitable biscuit cake can teach us about how building materials deal with moisture.
COP 26 & the future of the Glasgow tenements
Duncan Smith reflects on the social and architectural significance of Glasgow's tenement flats, and their potential place in a zero carbon future, as the city prepares to host COP 26.
Is affordable housing a policy blind spot?
Dublin City Council built just 45 social housing units in 2019. In his latest column, Mel Reynolds analyses the state’s surprising reluctance to build its own homes.
The condensation myth
Condensation within the structure of buildings is a lot more complex than condensation in a sweaty pub on a Friday night, writes building physics expert Toby Cambray.
Will we really build back better?
As governments rush to jump-start their economies, there is a danger that important lessons for how to retrofit homes will be lost in the rush to build. But there is a better way, writes Dr Peter Rickaby.
The world’s first ‘zero energy’ house
Returning to his regular series on the evolution of sustainable building during the 20th century, Dr Marc Ó Riain takes a look at the first serious attempt to build a house with net zero energy use.
The science of filters
How do ventilation filters work, and can they help to protect us against Covid-19? Toby Cambray weighs in on the physics of a subject that is more complex and interesting than you might expect.
The PH+ guides
The PH+ guide to thermal breaks
Building physics take no prisoners. Anyone designing, constructing or upgrading the thermal envelope of a building to modern energy performance levels is duty bound to understand and minimise thermal bridging, or suffer the consequences. One-man thermal bridging encyclopaedia Andrew Lundberg of Passivate, who teaches thermal bridging analysis at Dublin Institute of Technology, gives some practical advice on why and how to tackle thermal bridging head on, and describes some of the leading innovations in thermally broken components.
19-04-2018 Guides
The PH+ guide to external insulation
In the first in a new series of technical articles on some of the key technologies in sustainable building, John Hearne makes the case for wrapping buildings in an external insulation layer, and describes some of the main issues to watch out for.
07-02-2018 Guides
The PH+ guide to air source heat pumps
As electricity supply from renewable sources continues to grow, and electricity grids gradually decarbonise as dirtier fossil fuels are phased out, heating homes with electrical technologies like heat pumps starts to make more sense. And in the mild, temperate climate of Britain and Ireland, air source heat pumps are particularly suitable — especially as new build standards of energy efficiency continue to tighten, meaning new homes need less and less energy to achieve comfortable indoor temperatures. But how do air source heat pumps work, what types are there, and how much do they cost to run? Our in-depth guide attempts...
08-05-2018 Guides
The PH+ guide to overheating
As awareness of the urgency of the climate crisis grows, efforts to kickstart en masse deep energy efficiency interventions are gathering apace. But poorly conceived low energy building efforts can lead to unintended consequences including overheating – a risk that’s bound to grow as the world warms up. Phi Architecture co-founder Claire Jamieson details the risks and offers some solutions on how to create low energy buildings that are comfortable in summer and winter.
09-04-2021 Guides
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