But not in the fast lane

Construction down but finances up in Ireland of the future.

 The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has announced that the Irish economy could grow by 3.75 per cent annually over the next decade.

 

A report from the government-founded think tank says that, despite significant short-term problems, the economy

Prices for gas in the south and coal in the north both heading north

Heating bills are set to soar later this year after Bord Gáis confirmed it was seeking to increase prices by almost a fifth.

Next month the company will ask the Commission for Energy Regulation to allow an increase in consumer prices of up to nineteen

We're just journalists but…

 …now we're blogging.

As you can doubtlessly see, the Construct Ireland site has had a major revamp. Apart from the smart new design one new feature is the daily(ish) blog. Obviously we want your

In the absence of a methodology for air testing existing buildings coming from SEI, Brian Rochford of Colin Galavan & Associates Architects used the existing DEAP software for new homes to model the energy performance of his own home. Brian is a registered BER assessor, and used the software to test the various options he was considering to upgrade his house incrementally.

Right-wing swing to environmentalism

 

US senator and presidential candidate John McCain has called for mandatory caps on carbon emissions and is demanding that America reduces its emissions by, "at least 60 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050."

The moves comes as the race for the White House in 2008 hots up.

As reported yesterday, McCain, has been expected to distance

No-one would use green doom-mongering to sell houses, would they?

 

Wired, in a report headlined 'Mock the apocalypse from a stylish new houseboat', suggests that potential house-buyers who are concerned about impending climate catastrophe should

Nuclear power for Ireland, the greening of Croker and falling construction.

Ireland should go nuclear in order to ensure energy security. So says William Nuttall from Cambridge University.

Speaking last night at the RDS in Dublin, during a talk called 'Nuclear Energy - why is it on the agenda?', Dr. Nuttall

Gas and electricity prices are due to rise sharply in the next year.

Barry O'Halloran at the Irish Times reports consumers will face rising energy costs as a result of increased wholesale costs to suppliers including ESB and Bord Gá

Homes of the future should generate the vast majority of the energy they use, but a small amount of near-site or off-site renewable generation

The number of government grants made to people in Britain who want install renewable energy systems to their homes has halved, reports the BBC. The fall comes after the low carbon buildings programme cut the maximum grant on offer from £7,500 to £2,500.

Figures seen by the BBC show that in 2007, 2,339 grants

The Irish Times reports that worms have an economic value of €700 million.

 

Putative president has  green belt.

Republican party candidate for president, John McCain, is to be greener than his predecessor and party-mate George

Oil prices over $125 with predictions of $200

Millenarian doom-mongering or wave of the future? You decide.

Corn-based material emits methane in landfill and add to food crisis, newspaper claims.

The Guardian newspaper has reported that Pla, a corn-based plastic product designed to compost are not suitable for landfill.

While Pla is said to offer more disposal options, the Guardian

Corn-based material emits methane in landfill and add to food crisis, newspaper claims.

The UK's Observer newspaper produced an in-depth climate change section in last Sunday's edition, including an excellent warts-and-all article on the proto-eco city of Freiburg, Germany.

The Irish Times has reported that leaders of the EU member states are today close to agreeing a timetable for action on climate change.

On a day when world record oil prices were again surpassed (see here ), Microsoft has launched a new technology (see here ) which it says could cut over two million tonnes of CO2 every year - about the same emissions as the Poolbeg power station, or 392,000 mid-sized cars.

A broad range of sustainable building and renewable energy product suppliers are exhibiting at the EcoBuild section of the Spring House and Garden Show running this weekend. A sneak preview of their stands follows. Anyone interested in attending the show, which runs from Friday till Sunday at the RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin, should visit