Issue 39 - passivehouseplus.co.uk

As the stringent fabric-first, low energy standard enters its fourth decade, Guy Fowler asks what sort of impact it has made on the world, and where it should go from here.

How do underlays manage to let water vapour through while keeping the rain out? Toby Cambray delves into the physics…

The deep retrofit of this 1930s dwelling on the Hampshire coast provides a pitch-perfect example of how to transform old dwellings while preserving their original structure and minimising embodied carbon, utterly transforming the living space without the need for an extension, and creating a cosy home that uses two-thirds less energy than before.

A striking new oak-framed passive house in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the English countryside has just opened its doors to the public, and already there has been a flood of guests seeking to experience life in a passive house.

This Enerphit project in the suburbs of South Dublin has dramatically transformed and extended a dated 1970s dwelling by adding an extra storey, radically reducing its energy consumption and creating a smartly-designed, light filled family home and office.

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.

Insulating our homes is critical and must be our first priority, but how do we get the rest of the way to zero carbon? Dr Peter Rickaby investigates the options…

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.

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.

This issue features a passive house hostel situated in the town of Zegama, on the route of the Camino de Santiago.

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.

In recent years, as energy efficiency targets for new buildings have tightened, attention has turned to cutting the embodied carbon of buildings by switching from materials like concrete and steel to lower carbon alternatives like timber. But if we are serious about solving the ecological emergency as well as stabilising the climate, we must look even further than embodied carbon, and think more deeply about the core values we apply to materials and buildings, and the manner in which we use them.

By Lenny Antonelli & AECB CEO Andy Simmonds

SAV Systems has announced that the AirMaster AM 1000 has been awarded passive house component certification in conjunction with the company’s Danish partner, Airmaster A/S.

Despite disappointment in the green building sector at the government’s failure to address embodied carbon in the Future Buildings Standard, the industry possesses the knowledge, skills and supply chain to take matters into its own hands and start drastically cutting embodied carbon right now.

Leading Irish heating appliance manufacturer Grant has invested over €250,000 in enabling the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in traditional oil boilers.

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 programmes.

Waterford Stanley will launch a new range of monobloc air-to-water heat pumps this November.

Mannok was named as one of Ireland’s best managed companies at a virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, 8 September.

Waterford-based high-performance window supplier and installer Zyle Fenster Ireland is now offering Triotherm thermal brackets from Prodomo Ireland as standard under door thresholds on all of its projects.

Low carbon cement company Ecocem has announced the appointment of Pat Cox, former TD and president of the European Parliament, as chair of Ecocem Group.

Anyone looking to purchase new windows could easily be overwhelmed by the sheer choice on the market, and nowhere is this more evident that when it comes to choice of materials.

Ecological Building Systems have launched Thermo Hemp Combi Jute insulation in Ireland and the UK.

Daikin Europe has launched the Daikin Altherma M HW, its second generation domestic hot water heat pump.

Partel, specialist in developing sustainable building envelope materials, is aiming to raise awareness of the key role of efficient ventilation for safer and healthier indoor living spaces.

Despite recent focus on the launch of the UK’s hydrogen strategy, heat pumps are still the most logical technology for cutting carbon emissions from home heating appliances, according to Mitsubishi Electric UK.

The new Brink Flair 225 heat recovery ventilation unit from Brink Climate Systems has officially been released.

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.

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.

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.

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..