National construction conference points way forward for industry

Heat Merchants and HomeBond co-hosted the National Construction Industry Conference last November in Croke Park’s Conference Centre to review key issues and deliver insights to over 210 architects, engineers, planners and developers. The topics centred around key issues which will influence the future of the construction industry in Ireland, including liability, health & safety plus the implications of recent and upcoming additions to various sections of the building regulations.

Stephen Fry to speak at Ecobuild 2016

Stephen Fry has been announced as the special guest at Ecobuild 2016, the UK’s largest show dedicated to construction and energy. The erudite writer, actor and campaigner joins a lineup of industry leaders and experts.

Light + Building show returns to Frankfurt this March

This year’s Light + Building show, the leading European trade show for lighting and building services engineering, takes place from 13 to 18 March at Messe Frankfurt, Germany. In addition to its exhibition of the latest and most innovative products, the show will feature an extensive complementary programme of other events.

AECB to run varied range of passive house courses

The AECB, the Association for Environment Conscious Building, is hosting a number of passive house courses this spring – ranging from courses to become certified passive house designers to “bite size” training sessions for designers who wish to familiarise themselves with the standard.

Overheating masterclass in London this February

Industry experts Mark Siddall and Nick Grant will deliver a masterclass that examines the potential causes of overheating, and how to design, build and operate a passive building in order to prevent overheating problems, on 15 February in the Saint-Gobain Innovation Centre in London. 

Icynene secures BBA certification

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. 

Passive House Plus back issues now freely available online

The digital versions of all previous issues of Passive House Plus are now freely available online.  The magazine is available in entirety in digital form, while many of the feature articles are also now available in HTML form - or in other words as regular web articles. The digital editions use the Issuu pageflipper software, which was chosen for its functionality, simplicity and the ability for readers to interact with magazine content - for instance by sharing links to articles in the magazine via social media or email, or by clicking links to websites contained in articles and adverts.

Save energy by using smart heating and lighting controls

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.

Kingspan launches online solar calculator

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.

Daikin heat pumps installed at new low energy Wicklow development

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.