£30m passive scheme launched in Down

This article was originally published in issue 48 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €15, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge

Located on the Comber Road in Carryduff, Co Down, Beaufort Green follows the success of the company’s first passive house development, Lancaster Park, in south Belfast, which featured in issue 43 of Passive House Plus.

“The passive house standard has set a new benchmark for energy efficiency and sustainability in the housing market,” said Fraser Millar director John Carrigan, “The criteria for passive house certification significantly exceed Northern Ireland’s current building regulations – to the benefit of our homeowners”.

14 houses have initially been released with over three quarters booked. First completions are estimated for the first quarter of 2025.

While the construction industry has been slow to engage with monitoring the real world performance of buildings, Fraser Millar – who scooped Developer of the Year 2023 at the PropertyPal Awards – are proving to be an exception.

“We believe we are also the only property developers in Northern Ireland that collects monthly data to monitor the energy usage of our passive homes,” said Carrigan. “So far, we have received excellent feedback from our homeowners in Lancaster Park. Typical new homes, according to recent studies, are using nearly double the energy in their design projections. Whereas our passive homes are actually using slightly less than the calculated levels. This demonstrates that passive houses do what it says on the tin, which can result in considerably lower utility bills for the homeowner.”

Carrigan said Fraser Millar hoped to see sustainable building standards like passive house become more commonplace in Northern Ireland. “At Fraser Millar, we have cemented ourselves as the industry trailblazers, paving the way for a revolutionised way of living that is both better for the environment and for the health of occupants. The wider Northern Ireland housing industry is grappling with challenges and claims of low energy, but with passive house principles, the sector has the potential to be not only completely revolutionised but truly energy efficient.”

For more information visit www.frasermillar.co.uk