Passive house is now 25 years old, and to celebrate this, the International Passive House Conference is returning to Darmstadt – the German city in which this success story began.

Michael Bennett & Sons’ just-launched development, Madeira Oaks in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, features what may be the lowest-cost passive housing in Ireland.

Icynene Classic, the open-celled soft, flexible, breathable foam insulation, familiar to thousands of residential installers around the country, has just secured BBA certification for applications directly to the underside of breathable and non-breathable roof membranes and felt – without the need for either a vent card or a double batten system. 

Intelligent energy management systems can help homeowners to save significant amounts of energy without even touching their building fabric — and without sacrificing on comfort. That’s according to Niall Walsh of Dublin-based home automation experts KNX Tech.

The thermal performance of the Kingspan Optim-R panel has now been independently verified as it became the first vacuum insulation panel to be granted a BDA Agrément certificate.

Smet Building Products, the agents for leading German manufacturer Casea, has introduced the latest in internal moisture regulating plasters: Casea Casucalc Klima and Casea Klimafeinputz KFP breathable fine finishing plaster.

The second phase of a new energy-efficient residential development — boasting A3 rated dwellings — has recently launched in Rathnew, Co Wicklow. Kirvin Hill, built by Broomhall Developments, is a new estate of three-bedroom houses, including both semi-detached units and bungalows.

Southern Housing Group, one of the largest housing associations in the south east of England, has delivered its first ever scheme built to the passive house standard. Built on a 1.5 acre site, Cameron Close is a £4.2 million development of 16 semi-detached family houses and 12 sheltered apartments in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight.

Stevens Institute of Technology won top honours overall at the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 by designing, building, and operating the most  cost-effective, energy efficient, and attractive solar powered house at the competition. Dubbed ‘Sure House’, the building also meets passive house standards for heating demand and airtightness and features heat recovery ventilation.

There are significant savings to be made with a well designed solar thermal installation, using either flat plate or vacuum tube collectors, and Kingspan Solar has taken a major step towards clarifying exactly how much. The company’s new online calculator quickly works out the cost benefits over time based on a few simple pieces of information about the homeowner’s existing heating system.