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News
Huge demand for new deep retrofit grants
Some one-stop-shops will not take on projects with new build extensions.
New EU law will mandate renovation of inefficient buildings
Green groups criticise lack of focus on embodied carbon. The European Commission is proposing sweeping changes to the way in which energy ratings for buildings are allocated, in a bid to stimulate the retrofit of the worst performing buildings across Europe.
Rebuilt Low Energy Buildings Database to become key international resource
Leading sustainable building association the AECB has secured funding to create an international resource to share detailed information on low energy buildings in the UK, Ireland and, ultimately, internationally, via a rebuild of the Low Energy Buildings Database (LEBD).
TEDx passive house talk now available online
Passive House Plus editor and publisher Jeff Colley’s TEDx talk on the passive house standard is now available to view online.
RIAI launches 2030 climate challenge
The Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland (RIAI) has launched its 2030 Climate Challenge, calling for urgent action to be taken by architects and the wider construction industry to tackle the climate emergency.
Climate action plan sets embodied carbon targets for construction
Ireland’s new climate action plan, which was published on Thursday 4 November, contains the country’s first official targets for limiting the embodied carbon of construction materials.
Poor ventilation a Covid risk in 40 per cent of classrooms, study finds
Coventry University research has found that 40 per cent of primary school classrooms examined in a study did not have an adequate ventilation rate to combat the spread of Covid-19.
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.
Oil heating sector pivots to biofuels, but green groups raise concern
The UK and Ireland’s oil heating industry says it has taken a “major step forward” in the use of biofuels in domestic oil boilers, with early tests concluding that hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) works in virtually all existing oil boilers.
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.
Window-opening unreliable for ventilation, study finds
A comparison between two pairs of households in Switzerland suggests that people do not reliably compensate for lack of mechanical ventilation with more window opening.
Study confirms “systematic inequalities” in indoor air pollution
A new analysis of the exposure of London households to indoor pollutants highlights “systematic inequalities” in exposure, overwhelmingly driven by factors beyond the control of those people worst affected.
One in four homes failing to meet NZEB
Almost a quarter of new nearly zero energy building (NZEB) homes may be non-compliant with Part L of the regulations, new analysis by Passive House Plus has revealed.
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.
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Marketplace news
Partel launches new Acraline Roll adhesive
Partel has upgraded the performance and functionality of its Acraline Roll adhesive with new technical features. The company said that Acraline offers a “unique sealing solution for membranes” in the construction of passive house and low energy buildings.
13-05-2022 Marketplace
Retrokit tailors software platform for one-stop-shops
Retrokit, the Irish clean tech start-up whose software platform helps housing professionals to make evidence-based decisions for energy upgrade projects, has tailored its software for one-stop-shops managing retrofits under the national home energy upgrade programme.
12-05-2022 Marketplace
Techrete aims for net zero carbon by 2030
Leading precast concrete facade manufacturer Techrete has pledged to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
12-05-2022 Marketplace
EPDs key to reducing embodied carbon – Munster Joinery
Leading Irish window manufacturer Munster Joinery has emphasised the importance of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for reducing embodied carbon in buildings. The company sees reducing embodied carbon as the next major step for the industry after tackling operational energy.
12-05-2022 Marketplace
Top 5 questions about specifying structural thermal breaks
Read Farrat's guide to specifying structural thermal breaks
Kilsaran launch lower carbon cement with CarbonCure
Kilsaran has announced the signing of a new partnership agreement with CarbonCure Technologies to bring a lower carbon cement to its clients. The project represents a €1m investment by Kilsaran and…
Modular Cork school building smashes RIAI carbon target
A new school building in Cork City built by Irish offsite timber specialist Lidan Designs has achieved a remarkably low embodied carbon score, according to an analysis performed by sustainable building consultant John Butler.
ProAir retooling for the future
Despite the uncertainty created by the global pandemic, Galway based ventilation manufacturer ProAir Systems has been busy optimising its lineup of products and putting in place a number of measures to enhance its…
Ecocel supplying English developer Bell Blue
Cork-based cellulose insulation manufacturer Ecocel is now supplying its blown cellulose insulation to English developer Bell Blue.
Firebird rebrand emphasises sustainability & innovation
Firebird, the leading designer and manufacturer of commercial and domestic boilers, has rebranded with a new logo and tagline to reflect its business strategy and “ambition for growth”.
Daikin launches new Altherma 3 R heat pumps
Daikin has launched the Altherma 3 R, the world’s first high-capacity R-32 refrigerant split heat pump that offers cooling, along with heating and domestic hot water.
Passive Sills wins product award for insulated threshold
Cork-based manufacturer Passive Sills was highly commended in the exterior product category at the Architects’ Choice Product Awards at the Architecture & Building Expo 2021
Deep retrofit & heat pump transforms Inchicore home
A semi-detached house in Inchicore, Dublin has seen its BER boosted from a G to an A rating thanks to a deep retrofit by Dublinbased retrofit contractor Energlaze and a new Viessmann air-to-water heat…
Offaly self-build features renewable heating designed by Grant
The self-builder of a new NZEB family home in County Offaly is experiencing high comfort and low energy bills with the help of a new renewable heating system from leading Irish home…
Partel commended at the Architects’ Choice Product Awards
Partel’s Alma Vert recycled structural panel and Lunos Silvento ec exhaust system were commended in the ‘best exterior product’, and ‘best renewable product’ categories respectively at the Architects’ Choice Product Awards 2021, as part of…
Manhattan modular apartments feature Wraptite membrane
A new modular apartment building in New York has been fitted out with Wraptite airtight membrane. East Broadway Residences is located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
New Dulux paints 99.9% VOC free
Dulux Trade has launched its Airsure range of paints, which are 99.9 per cent free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), to the Irish market.
Ecological launch Inventer decentralised ventilation
Ecological Building Systems has announced that it will exclusively partner with Inventer Germany in the supply and distribution of their innovative range of ventilation systems in Ireland and the UK.
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.
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…
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From the magazine
Blogs
The 1980s: A renewable revolution undermined
Marc O Riain explores how policy on both side of the Atlantic in the 1980s sabotaged a nascent revolution in renewables and energy conservation.
Let’s bring ventilation in from the cold
Why is there is such antipathy towards putting ventilation at the forefront of our Covid prevention strategy, asks Residential Ventilation Association of Ireland chair and co-founder David McHugh.
“Sustainability must be embedded at all stages of a building’s life,” says David Browne of RKD
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 lifecycle.
ESG: a game changer for sustainable building?
With signs that the corporate world may be starting to move from greenwashing to genuinely grappling with sustainability via environmental, social and governance reporting (ESG), will this create opportunities for the widespread adoption of evidence-based sustainable building? Archie O’Donnell, Passive House Association of Ireland board member and environmental manager with i3PT, finds reasons for optimism.
We must take radical action on whole life carbon
Addressing building life cycle emissions requires much deeper action than is currently planned, says Marion Jammet of the Irish Green Building Council.
Housing for who?
Despite an increase in the construction of new homes, the number available for first-time buyers and families to purchase is falling.
How do breather membranes work?
How do underlays manage to let water vapour through while keeping the rain out? Toby Cambray delves into the physics…
Let’s get decarbonisation done
While there is much debate about whether we should prioritise retrofitting homes or installing heat pumps, the climate crisis means we may not have a choice but to do both as fast as possible, writes Toby Cambray.
The Saskatchewan House, 1977
In his latest column on the history of low energy building during the 20th century, Dr Marc Ó Riain looks back at the Saskatchewan House, which was built in Canada in 1977, and established the principle of prioritising energy demand reduction over active systems.
Cutting embodied carbon: doing more with less
We won’t be able to reduce the embodied carbon of construction fast enough just by switching to lower carbon materials, says Pat Barry of the Irish Green Building Council, so we urgently need smart design that allows us to build with less, and to create a genuine circular economy for building materials.
When is an A-rated home really A-rated?
Does the energy rating of homes actually reflect their real-world performance? Dr Shane Colclough, vice chair of the Passive House Association of Ireland, outlines the growing importance of post-occupancy analysis.
Housing for all: a plan in need of a story
Under its new housing plan, the government wants the state to acquire more land for housebuilding. But why has it failed to use the vast land banks it already owns? Mel Reynolds runs the rule over the figures.
The PH+ guides
The PH+ guide to insulating concrete formwork
As demand for super-insulated and airtight building structures grows, insulating concrete formwork (ICF) is rapidly gaining popularity as a method of construction. But what exactly is ICF, what are its key advantages, and why is it so well suited to passive house and low energy construction?
16-10-2018 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 insulating foundations
While understanding wall and roof insulation is relatively straightforward, insulation under the ground floor can be a bit of a mystery by comparison. Not only is it buried in the ground, but there are notoriously tricky spots like the wall-floor junction that need to be detailed and insulated properly. And the design of your foundation often depends on site conditions and the type of structure you’re going to build, too. In this guide, we explain some different ways of insulating one of the most challenging parts of the building envelope.
10-06-2019 Guides
The PH+ guide to airtightness
Once poorly understood by the mainstream building industry, airtightness is now increasingly seen as one of the most crucial objectives on any building project. Not only is it vital for energy efficiency, it’s also key for thermal comfort and for protecting a building’s structure from dampness and mould. In this comprehensive guide to airtightness, we look at why it’s so important, how exactly it’s measured, and most importantly, how to achieve it on site.
04-02-2019 Guides