The National Standards Authority of Ireland has appeared to acknowledge a major discrepancy spotted by Passive House Plus in SR 54, its code of practice for the retrofit of homes, that could give rise to inadequate ventilation and poor indoor air quality in some dwellings upgraded to the code.

Leading low energy ventilation supplier Sustainable Homes Scotland has advised anyone carrying out a deep retrofit — or building a small low energy dwelling — to consider the benefits of a new generation of decentralised mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems.

New evidence indicates that decentralised MEV systems – an increasingly popular option, now questions are being raised over the standard “background-plus-intermittent extract” ventilation strategy – can also fail to provide adequate indoor air quality, and may even perform worse than the standard approach in new build homes. 

Low energy building and airtightness specialists Partel have warned of the importance of ensuring any flat roof construction is properly designed to prevent interstitial condensation and the accumulation of moisture. 

Mankind can learn more about cutting energy consumption and carbon emissions by studying insects than by engaging in a space-race approach focused on high tech answers, leading Irish architect Seán Harrington writes in the new issue of green building and upgrading magazine Construct Ireland.