Passive house plus issue 9 (Irish edition)

editors letter

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ABC Certified Average Net Circulation of 6,272for the period 01/01/13 to 30/06/13

Issue 9

PUBLISHERS: Temple Media Ltd.PO Box 9688, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, IrelandT: +353 (0)1 2107513 / +353 (0)1 2107512

Email: [email protected]

EDITORIALEDITOR: Jeff ColleyE: [email protected]

DEPUTY EDITOR:Lenny AntonelliE: [email protected]

REPORTER:John HearneE: [email protected]

REPORTER:Kate de Selincourt

CONTRIBUTORSDr Benjamin Krick, Passive House Institute

Tom Dollard, Pollard Thomas EdwardsChris Parsons, Parsons + Whittley Architects

Paul McNally, PassivHaus Architecture CompanyPhilip Lee, Philip Lee Solicitors

Anna Crowley, Philip Lee Solicitors

UK SALESStephen MolyneuxE: [email protected]

READER RESPONSE/ ITDudley ColleyE: [email protected]

ACCOUNTSOisin HartE: [email protected]

ART DIRECTORLauren ColleyE: [email protected]

PRINTING: GPS Colour Graphics, T: +44 (0) 28 9070 2020

www.gpscolour.co.uk

Publishers circulation statement: 9,000 copiesof Passive House Plus (Irish edition) are printed anddistributed to the leading figures involved in sustainablebuilding in Ireland including architects; consulting,m&e and building services engineers; developers;builders; energy auditors; renewable energy companies;environmental consultants; county, city and towncouncillors; key local authority personnel; and tonewsagents nationwide via Easons.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in PassiveHouse Plus are those of the authors and do notnecessarily reflect the views of the publishers.

Cover: River Studio EnerphitPhotograph: Marco da Cruz

he old management adage you cant manage what you dont measure is fundamentalto low energy building. After all, whats the point of our industry spending time, effortand money on making supposedly low energy buildings if we dont check how theyreactually performing. Is it because we wont like what we discover?

Looking at Ireland and the UKs energy standards for new buildings, Ireland appears to take theview that its best to aim high (in the case of dwellings at least) but not monitor how the resultantbuildings are actually performing, while the UK is instead aiming much lower but is actuallymonitoring performance. Really, given how high the stakes are in terms of climate change, energysupply and the needless running costs and discomfort of sub-standard buildings, we need to beaiming to design and build ultra low energy buildings, and we need to monitor those buildings or representative samples of those buildings to see whether the approaches we try out actuallywork or not, and to feed that information back into how we legislate, design and build.

Calculated and actual performance can differ wildly, for a variety of reasons, and we shouldntassume that buildings with energy performance calculated to comply with building regulationswill actually perform to those levels. Sadly we have no reason to expect this to be the case. Forits part the Westminster government recognises that a significant performance gap exists betweendesigned and actual energy use of notionally low energy buildings in the UK, and although itsregulations are much worse than Irelands on paper, the government has pledged to eliminate theperformance gap in England, stating that by 2020 90% of all new homes will perform as well asor better than designed, with substantial and detailed analysis ongoing at present by the ZeroCarbon Hub to establish the causes of this gap. The Irish government appears not to share theseconcerns. There hasnt been an attempt since 2005s still unpublished Energy Performance Surveyof Irish Housing to check whether the actual energy performance of new build homes corresponded tothe calculations. A cynic might argue that the widespread non-compliance with building regulations and, perhaps unsurprisingly, correspondingly higher than expected energy usage noted in thatstudy, serves a powerful disincentive for the authorities to commission further research.

And while to an extent poor performance may be down to non-compliance with regulations, there arebroader questions about some of the assumptions made in the regulations and more particularlyin the associated documents. I contend that its possible to satisfy Irelands technical guidancedocuments or the UKs approved documents and therefore show prima facie compliance withthe regulations and still produce a building that fails. Some of the natural ventilation strategiesthat abound, coupled with ropey thermal bridging and airtightness performance are causes forparticular concern.

So its critical that we dont just take a tick box approach to compliance, but actually design andconstruct buildings that work buildings underpinned with a sound theoretical basis and strongempirical evidence of actual performance. Part of the reason my company rebranded our magazinefrom Construct Ireland to Passive House Plus was because of our conviction that the passive housestandard offers a tried and tested route to delivering ultra low energy, healthy, robust buildings. Werenot saying that everyone should build a passive house, but we think we all have a lot to learn fromthe principles and rigorous attention to both a priori and empirical data which underpin its approach.

Regards,the editor

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6 NEWS

18 BUILDING OR UPGRADING?Passive House Plus is here to make your building more sustainable

20 COMMENT

26 INTERNATIONALThis issues selection features ultra low energy buildings from Mexico,Germany, New Zealand and Italy, and illustrates how widely the energy efficiency specification can vary in different climate zones.

36 NEW BUILD36 Sleek-and-striking passive house graces eco-village

The eco-village at Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary, is no strangerto low energy buildings, and with this passive house, architectPaul McNally set out to prove that energy efficiency and goodarchitecture go hand-in-hand.

42 Low energy Tipperary offices go for goldA new development in Tipperary aimed to combine excellentlevels of airtightness and insulation with generous glazing andnatural ventilation, to deliver ultra-modern, comfortable, lowenergy offices. How did it work out?

50 Passive fishermens cottages on Norfolk coastThree award-winning, affordable homes in scenic North Norfolkhave achieved passive certification while embracing a uniquelocal style of architecture.

56 Ledbury passive house embraces warmth, wood & lightFor Ruth Busbridge and her builder Mike Whitfield, aiming forthe passive house standard was just one part of an environmentallyconscious approach that put natural, healthy materials to the fore.

62 UPGRADE62 How to rescue a 1970s bungalow

A passive retrofit in Co Meath offers a template that could beapplied across much of the Irish housing stock: a long, dark,1970s bungalow was transformed into a bright modern homethats now warm and comfortable.

68 From drab farm shed to passive, light-filled studioWhen Sjlander da Cruz Architects sought to turn an old abestos-clad shed into the firms new studio, it offered the perfect opportunityto put an enthusiasm for passive house design into practice.

76 INSIGHT76 The new proposed passive house classes explained

The Passive House Institutes announcement of new classes ofpassive house certification including renewable energy generation at this years International Passive House Conference causedsomething of a stir. Dr Benjamin Krick, the institutes head ofcomponent certification sheds some light on the new classesand explains the rationale behind proposals which may set uppassive house for a fabric first approach to near and sub zeroenergy building.

80 Will building boom see low energy failures?Low energy building isnt complicated, but its easy to get wrong.Since Irish house builders downed tools en masse when thelast boom ended, energy efficiency standards for new homeshave seen unprecedented rises of 40% in 2008 and 60% in 2011,shooting far ahead of the UK. But with signs of a new boomemerging, can the industry get to grips with this brave new worldof insulation, airtightness and thermal bridging and deliverhealthy low-energy homes or are damp and mould set tobecome the norm in new build?

86 SUBSCRIBE FOR CHRISTMAS!Its the Christmas gift that keeps on giving! Treat yourself, your colleague, ornearest & dearest to a subscription to Passive House Plus for just 25.

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News

First annual Heat Merchants conferencehears from industry experts The Heat Merchants Group hosted its inauguralConstruction Industry Conference in the CrokePark Conference Centre on Wednesday 12November, bringing together a panel of industryexperts to discuss the latest in renewable energytechnology, water conservation measures andbest practices in construction. Over 180 engineers,architects, developers and energy consultantsgathered to hear expert advice from leadingmanufacturers including Panasonic, SolarWorld,Kingspan, Baxi, Firebird, Sprue Safety Productsand energy consultants 2eva.ie. The event wassponsored by Bord Gis Energy and supportedby industry bodies CIBSE (Chartered Institutionof Building Services Engineers) and OFTEC(Oil Fired Technicians).

Alan Hogan, managing director of the HeatMerchants Group, said: Environmental sus-tainability and resource efficiency will continueto be a key driver of growth in our industry andwe want to use this opportunity to share knowl-edge and experience from some of the worldsleading manufacturers The new building reg-ulations and customer sentiment have forcedthe industry to upskill and utilise the most in-novative technology available. The conference,which was chaired by Passive House Plus editorJeff Colley, reviewed the recent amendmentsto the building regulations governing the useof renewable energy sources, and safety in

the installation of heat producing appliancesin domestic buildings.

As part of the conference a comprehensive exhibitionarea gave delegates the opportunity to engagein one-on-one discussions with representativesfrom many of the established brands which areavailable through Heat Merchants and Tubs &Tiles. In addition to displays by the panel of speakers,the exhibitors included Stelrad, Grundfos and Adey,plus many leading bathroom brands such as

Duravit, Geberit, Bal, Mira and Hansgrohe.

The Heat Merchants Group has 43 branchesnationwide, which includes 31 Heat Merchantsbranches, 11 Tubs & Tiles Showrooms and TileGiant. It is one of Irelands leading suppliersto the heating and plumbing industry.

(above) Alan Hogan, managing director of the HeatMerchants Group, speaking at the inaugural HeatMerchants Construction Industry Conference

Following a successful World Green BuildingWeek series of seminars and demonstrationsin September, Ecological Building Systems hasannounced a series of new training courses andseminars. This is timely with the latest revisionof the building regulations, increased activityin the construction sector and a demand for higherlevels of thermal performance in buildings, saidNiall Crosson, the companys technical engineerand certified passive house consultant.

The courses include a new Pro Clima IntelligentAirtight Systems training programme whichhas a particular focus on practically deliveringairtightness on site. This practical course willbe delivered by one of Ecological Building Sys-tems technical experts, Peter Smith, in com-bination with certified passive house tradespersonRoman Szypura of Clioma House. Roman isvery well known in the world of passive houseand has many years experience deliveringsome of the most airtight and lowest energyhouses in Ireland and the UK.

Ecological Building Systems will also once againbe delivering its highly commended BetterBuilding, Putting the Fabric First course. Thisis split into morning theoretical and afternoon

practical sessions. The morning building physicssection is delivered by Niall Crosson. Thepractical afternoon session is again deliveredby Roman Szypura. The course focuses on meet-ing the thermal requirements of the buildingregulations, key areas to consider when retro-fitting existing buildings, an introduction topassive house principles, and an overview of

airtightness and vapour control. This coursewill focus on both retrofits and new builds.

The courses will be held at the companysstate-of-the-art Centre of Knowledge in Athboy,Co Meath. The courses are also targeted atUK delegates, and the company can organisetransport to and from Dublin Airport. Given thecompanys vast experience using award winningproducts on pioneering low energy projects sincethe year 2000, Ecological Building Systems isin a unique position to impart its knowledgeto both building professionals and the public.

More information regarding these seminarsand training courses is available at: www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com

Ecological Building Systems also provide freeconsultation and guidance, and its training centreis open for free viewing by appointment. The com-pany is always available to help guide buildingprofessionals through design detailing, productchoice and advice on installation.

(above) David Broderick of DB Plaster demonstratinghow to install Gutex insulation at the Ecological BuildingSystems Centre of Knowledge

Ecological Building Systems launch airtightness& fabric training programme

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News

Saint-Gobain building academy to train 25,000 workersSaint-Gobain, the building materials multinational,has announced the launch of a new constructionskills academy for Dublin that will train 25,000new construction workers over the next fiveyears.

Speaking at the announcement on 7 November,Brian Dolan, managing director for the Saint-Gobain building materials businesses in Ireland,said: This is a red letter day for constructionin Ireland as it marks the most significant in-vestment in education and training in the in-dustry since the crash of 2008. We want toreplace the lost generation of construction work-ers who have left Ireland or the industry overthe last six years.

There is a massive shortage of skilled workersin the Irish construction industry, which is a keyfactor in the lack of housing supply. We are open-ing this skills academy as a vote of confidence inthe Irish building industry which will triplehousing output by 2020, he added.

The sate-of-the-art training facility is situatednear Lucan, Dublin and will train all of the keyconstruction professionals including builders,architects and tradespeople. Courses will covera wide range of topics from practical site in-stallation courses to building physics and build-ing regulations courses.

The Saint-Gobain Technical Academy was of-ficially opened by energy minister Alex White,who said: We need a workforce that is highlyskilled and appropriately qualified. This applies

not just to construction workers but also to ar-chitects, engineers and other constructionprofessionals. Achieving the goal of an energyefficient building is no longer someone elsesjob. It should be the job of everyone on a site.

Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and dis-tributes high-performance building materials.With 2013 sales of 42 billion, the companyoperates in 64 countries and has nearly 190,000

employees. Saint-Gobain has a long history inIreland with well-known building material brandssuch as Gyproc, Isover and Weber.

Pictured at the launch of the new Saint Gobain academywere, from left to right: Saint-Gobain senior vice presidentClaude Imauven, Saint-Gobain Ireland managingdirector Brian Dolan, and minister for communications,energy & natural resources Alex White TD

Former European Parliament president Pat Coxhas called for Irish policymakers to accepthouses built as passive houses as complyingwith Part L of the building regulations.

In his address to over 200 attendees at See theLight 2014, the Passive House Association ofIrelands annual conference, he said:

The time has come in Ireland for passive housestandards to move from the margins to the main-stream, for building policy and its energy effi-ciency to become more active by becomingmore passive. The matter essentially is one ofIrish policy makers waking up and then takingup the value for money advantages of passivehouse standards so evident to an increasingrange of cities and states throughout the world.

This is not a call to replace either SEAIs DwellingEnergy Assessment Procedure (DEAP) or theEuropean Energy Performance of BuildingsDirective (EPBD). It is rather a proposition toformally recognise the passive house standardas compliant with Part L of the Irish buildingregulations. I do not believe that there is anyserious legal impediment to doing so. Delegatesat the conference also signed a petition callingfor the passive house standard to be accepted in

Ireland as a national building standard.

PHAI chairman Dr Shane Colclough said thata bizarre situation has occurred whereby de-spite buildings being independently certifiedas complying with the exceptionally stringentpassive house standard, they do not automaticallyqualify as complying with the Irish buildingregulations. By simply taking this step to fa-cilitate the deployment of the passive housestandard for Irish buildings, significant strideswould be taken to increase the quality and energyperformance of the Irish building stock, whichparadoxically is the main purpose of the recentlyintroduced amendments to the building regulations.

Toms OLeary of the Passive House Academyand former PHAI chairman Martin Murray werepresented with special recognition awards fortheir pioneering work on passive house in Ireland.

Held in conjunction with UCDs Earth Institute,the conference was part of five days of passivehouse activities. A design charrette competitionwas held on Wednesday and Thursday, 5 and6 November, with nine teams from colleges aroundIreland competing to design a development tothe passive house standard, with WaterfordInstitute of Technology emerging victorious.

The five-day long period of passive house ac-tivities concluded with the Passive House/NZEBOpen Days tours of buildings built to the passivehouse and low-energy standards throughoutthe country.

At this years See The Light conference, (l-r): PHAIchairman Dr Shane Colclough, Pat Cox, PHAI boardmember and architect Martin Murray, and TomsOLeary of the Passive House Academy

Pat Cox Calls for passive action on Part L

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News

Electric Ireland to end feed-in tariffElectric Ireland has announced that it will nolonger buy electricity from residential propertiesgenerating electricity from renewable sourcessuch as solar and wind. The move has comeas a complete shock to companies trying tobuild a market for solar panels producingelectricity on domestic roofs.

We had been hoping for an increase in thefeed-in tariff on solar electricity, because itcomplements wind energy on the grid, saidQuentin Gargan, director of ConstructionPV.Solar panels usually produce more powerwhen there is less wind, and this electricity isproduced during the daytime when there ishigher demand from industry.

At present, householders can sell their surpluselectricity to Electric Ireland for 9c per unit,which is roughly half the retail price, whereasthe price paid in the UK is 18p (23c). ElectricIreland has announced that the microgenerationscheme will close to new applicants on 31December.

According to Gargan, solar photovoltaic panelinstallation had seen an upturn as the build-ing code forces new houses to produce somerenewable energy. Solar panels producingelectricity are the most cost-effective way ofmeeting the building code. Its a win-win situation the builder got a trouble-free system to tick

all the boxes on the building code, the house-holder got paid for the electricity exported tothe grid, and the grid got green energy at a pricecomparable to electricity from oil or gas.

Gargan believes that the Commission for EnergyRegulation must step in and demand that allelectricity providers, not just Electric Ireland,should have a realistic feed-in tariff for renewableenergy being provided by householders. It isironic that this reversal happens on a week

that a deal on CO2 emissions was agreed callingfor an increase in renewable energy and energyefficiency.

The UK has about 3,400 MW (megawatt) of solarpower installed, Germany plans to have 66,000MW by 2020, while Ireland has less than 1MW installed.

(above) Quentin Gargan of ConstructionPV

Mitsubishi Electric has launched a new 11.2kWEcodan air-source heat pump to join the ex-isting three monobloc models. The line-up forthe self-contained outdoor units now boasts5kW, 8.5kW, 11.2kW and 14kW units, to makeEcodan suitable for almost any situation.

David McConnell, heating products managerat Mitsubishi Electric Ireland, said: We areconstantly reviewing our line-up to ensure thatwe deliver what the market wants. This newmodel slots nicely into the range to ensurewe can deliver renewable Ecodan heating toalmost any home in the country.

The new PUHZ-W112VHA model is a singlephase Harp database and MCS-certified 11.2kWunit that shares the ability to cascade up tosix units of the same output, allowing Ecodansystems to offer a capacity range from 5kWthrough to 84kW. The second Ecodan unitlaunched is a 4.5kW split unit which boasts animpressive Harp database SPF of 440% - asignificant advantage in terms of attaining highBER scores and achieving Part L compliance.

With low maintenance and quiet running recog-nised by the Noise Abatement Society, theunits operate with outside temperatures aslow as -20C and also offer a bivalent function,allowing them to be used in a hybrid situationwith an existing traditional boiler. To ease in-stallation, fast on-site commissioning and log-ging is available via the pre-programmed SDcard, and for the building owners, Ecodancan be controlled by the MELCloud Wi-Fi re-mote controller.

McConnell added: As the heat pump marketgrows, installers are becoming aware of thedifferent levels of technology and supportavailable from manufacturers and here at Mit-subishi Electric, we are determined to con-tinue to lead the way towards reliable renewableheating.

(above right) the collector for a Mitsubishi Ecodan air-source heat pump

Mitsubishi Electric launchesair-source heat pumps withup to 440% SPFs

CorrectionsIn the article How to save social housingblocks in issue eight, we wrongly quoted DavidWilliams of Eastlands Homes as saying: Theresidents in the maisonettes are the poorestpeople in our housing stock. This was a mis-quote. His actual words were, the maisonettesare the poorest in our housing stock, and thequote was from an article in Inside Housingmagazine, who we should have credited.

In the same issue, we wrongly attributedphotography for the Riedberg school, youthcentre & gym in our International Selectionfeature to Achim Groe. The photographs werein fact by Thomas Herrmann. We apologisefor these errors.


News

Window design & fitting as important asU-value True WindowsSligo-based low energy window supplier andinstaller True Windows has advised anyoneinstalling new windows to think carefully aboutthe details of design and installation.

The window itself is only one-third of theservice, said Brian Raftery of True Windows.Another third is the design measuring thejob properly, working out the detailing, makingsure what we deliver will work for the building.

Then the last third is to put the product intothe building properly, with care and attention.They are the three components you should begetting from your window supplier. And if yourenot getting them all, youre getting a bad deal.

For me the biggest dilemma in Ireland in buildingis that people dont think enough about thedetails of a building the junctions, how thecomponents fit together.

When people go and want to build a house,they see it as a one product. They see eachindividual component as one product. But theyneed to think about how that component fitsinto the building and work with the other com-ponents. Think about a car. You can buy the mostexpensive engine, tires, wheels. But someone has

to figure out how its all going to be put together.

Raftery advised that clients can often save thou-sands of euro on a window package and stillachieve big energy savings by choosing amore standard window specification and makingsure it is detailed and installed properly, ratherthan simply picking the highest spec option.

The windows are the probably the single biggestpackage youre going to put into the building.Most people spend twice what theyd spend ona family car on their windows. You can go along

and buy the best passive window, but its nouse unless it is installed properly, with thoughtgone into every detail and junction.

Raftery said that True Windows makes sure allof its jobs achieve passive levels of airtightnessfor window installation. The window is not justabout a U-value, it has to be watertight, it hasto be airtight, and it has to look well, he added.

(above) True Windows worked on this Mulcaire Heffernandesigned low energy house built by Greentec Eco Homes inLetterard, Co Galway, featured in issue 7 of Passive House Plus

The Forbo Cross Dock Warehouse in Assendelft,the Netherlands, has received LEED Goldcertification one year after its official opening.The award was presented to Forbo Flooringvice president Matthias Huenerwadel by USGreen Building Council president Rick Fedrizzi.

LEED is a certification system that evaluatesa buildings environmental credentials in areassuch as energy, materials, water, transportand indoor environmental quality.

Fedrizzi praised Forbo for the companys com-mitment to sustainability and the active role ithas played in putting sustainability on the agenda

of the building and construction community.

He said: The new Cross Dock Warehouse atForbo Flooring Facility epitomises the kind ofleadership from Forbo that Ive admired for nearlytwo decades. They were early adopters and sup-porters of the green building movement, andthey understood early on the deep connectionbetween human health, sustainability, and greenbuilding. This LEED Gold certified facility showcasestheir sustainable design ethic and their focus ongreening their logistics and operations, and will bea great model for others across Europe to follow."

Construction on the new warehouse started

in March 2013, and the building was fully op-erational within only six months. The new facilityacts as the worldwide transport hub for Forbo,and has enabled the company to achieve asignificant reduction in its transport-relatedCO2 emissions by consolidating output fromFobos various factories at one distribution centre.

Forbo said that throughout the building de-sign process, a lot of attention was given torealising the greenest possible warehouse.The warehouse is equipped with automaticdimming lights, LED lighting in the office spaces,a highly efficient heating system, and highlywater-efficient systems in bathrooms and toi-lets. The warehouse is also equipped with theequivalent of over 100,000 kWh per annumof solar panels on its roof.

Currently there are only 10 buildings in theNetherlands with either a LEED Gold or Platinumcertificate. Forbo Flooring Systems is the firstcompany to receive a LEED Gold certificatefor a warehouse in the Netherlands. The Forbowarehouse has also been nominated for LEEDproject of the year and the company hasbeen nominated for the Leadership Award forManufacturers.

(above) Forbo Flooring vice president MatthiasHuenerwadel (right) receiving the LEED Gold awardfrom US Green Building Council President Rick Fedrizzi

Forbo warehouse achieves LEED Gold

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News

Firebird boilers topHarp database forefficiency

Irish boiler manufacturer Firebird Heating So-lutions has advised potential customers thatit is possible to achieve excellent BERs andheating system efficiency while still going downthe traditional route of installing an oil boiler.Firebirds range of Enviromax condensing oilboilers offer the highest efficiencies of anygas, oil or LPG boiler on SEAIs Harp data-base, with various models occupying the topnine places on the list.

The new Building Control (Amendment) Regula-tions 2014 came into effect on 1 March, andone of the many additional sections to be en-forced is the completion of a BER assessment,

both from the plans and also upon completion ofthe dwelling. Nicola Barry, technical managerat Firebird Heating Solutions, told PassiveHouse Plus that a typical package Firebirdsupplies to achieve a highly efficiency heatingsetup would include a high efficiency con-densing oil boiler, solar thermal and a woodinset stove. Other options include range cookers,wood gasification boilers or wood pellet boilers.

Barry said Firebirds engineering team, workingwith BER assessors, has completed a vastnumber of assessments from new house plansbuilt to TGD L 2011, and these are achievingat least an A3 rating with Firebird products asthe heating source. The company, based inCounty Cork has been manufacturing oil boil-ers in Ireland for over 30 years, and has sincebranched out into solar thermal and biomassboilers.

Barry said: It is key that the design and buildteam speak with the client on the various heat-ing options available. It is the responsibility ofthe team to ensure the client obtains the dwellingthey want and a key factor to this is that theyare given heat and comfort, especially whenthey require it. We are all aware that the regulationsrequire us to build more energy conscious houseswith respect to insulation, heating and orientation.At Firebird, we are confident that we are thebest in our oil heating industry in Ireland andthat we have the best products to give youthe heat you need when you need it.

Galway-based architectural, engineering &design firm Corbwell Design would considercertifying that passive houses comply withPart L of building regulations even in caseswhen they dont meet Technical GuidanceDocument L.

In a blog published on passive.ie, Corbwellpresents Deap calculations that examine whethera house under construction in Galway meetsTGD L under different scenarios. The exercisecontrasts a design with mediocre fabric relativelypoor airtightness, and U-values relaxed to thebackstops in TGD L, but with a solar PV array with a passive house spec, and a 4sqm solarthermal array. According to Deap, the mediocrefabric version complies with Part L, while thepassive house fails.

Details on how to comply with Part L are setout in TGD L 2011. But the TGDs arentlegally binding, and alternative methods ofcompliance may be used. Deap, the softwareused to determine Part L compliance, appearsto ignore this fact, asserting that designs whichfail to hit targets in TGD L fail to conform withPart L.

As energy law expert Philip Lee explains inthis issue of Passive House Plus (pp20-22),theres a strong case that a passive housewith a renewable energy system meets Part L,even if it fails to meet the renewable energytargets set out in TGD L.

The full blog post on Corbwells calculationscan be read online at www.passive.ie

Corbwell consider passive houseas Part L solution

Poor design &install threatenHRV market ProAirGalway-based heat recovery ventilation man-ufacturer ProAir has warned that poor qualitydesign and installation poses a threat to theHRV market in Ireland and the UK. The com-panys David McHugh told Passive HousePlus that a lack of quality standards meansystems are being improperly specified, de-signed and installed. He said ProAir hadbeen asked to advise on a number of build-ings where these issues had led to inade-quate ventilation, causing condensation andmould.

Quite a lot of print space has been allocatedto the common concepts attached to low energyconstruction such as insulation, draught-proofingand the elimination of cold bridges, but relativelylittle has been written on the other essentialcomponent, heat recovery ventilation, hesaid.

In particular, HRV design and installation.The British building regulations Part F stipulatesthat all systems must be commissioned andthe results furnished to building control. Becauseof this, the Building Research Establishmenthave published recommendations on com-missioning these systems, which indeed makesense, but it is impossible to commission sys-tems that have been improperly designed,specified and installed," he said.

McHugh said that while EN standards do existon the methodology for testing HRV systems,there are no standards on the proper speci-fication of these systems, or on suitable ductingsystems.

McHugh said one common issue is HRV ductingbeing installed outside a building's thermalenvelope. All supply and return ducting shouldbe in a service cavity within the insulation andairtightness envelope of the building. At a mini-mum, the ducting should be at least withinthe insulation envelope.

McHugh said that, post building boom, storiesof poor HRV jobs emerge every day, and this isthreatening the wider reputation of the sector including for quality suppliers and installers.He suggested a national industry body couldproduce guidelines on the design, specificationand installation of HRV systems and ducting.

These guidelines need to be backed up byresearch and solid experience. Maybe this iswhere [a state body] needs to step in and fundthis independent research, perhaps throughmasters programmes, he said.

HRV has been proven to work and properlydesigned and installed systems can delivercontented customers and energy bill savings.


News

Aereco celebrates 30th birthday

On 17 October, Aereco SA, a global leader indemand controlled ventilation, celebrated 30years in business and inaugurated its new18,000 square metre headquarters, researchfacilities and manufacturing plant in Collgien,France. The event was attended by over 500people from 20 different countries. AerecosUK and Ireland team were there, along withthe other guests, for guided tours of the newfacilities and to join in the celebrations.

The event was opened by Aereco CEO MarcJardinier, who thanked all of those present in-cluding guests, customers, suppliers, subsidiaries,financial partners, regional development actors,officials, and employees. Jardinier gave a his-torical overview of the company since its birth in1984, expressing his pride at watching Aerecosdevelopment over the last thirty years.

Simon Jones, Aerecos commercial director

for the UK & Ireland, said of the companysnew headquarters: It secures Aerecos growthand development for the future here in the UKand Ireland, and re-emphasises its commit-ment to innovation and development with thestate-of-the-art research facilities it now housesunder one roof.

(above) Aerecos new headquarters in France, whichwas designed by the architect Frank Tomassi

Building Envelope Technologies was presentedwith an Architects Choice Award at the ArchitectureExpo in the RDS in October. Formed in 2001,the company has since completed over 5,000airtightness tests in Ireland.

The main driver behind this award was that BEThas built a strong reputation among leadingarchitects, engineers, project managers andend users for providing a service of the highesttechnical integrity and has more experiencein the areas of building airtightness, weather-tightness, building pathology, product laboratorytesting, Part L compliance and building defectanalysis than any other company in Ireland,said Brian Shannon of BET.

BET has invested over 300,000 in the past 18months to develop a state-of-the-art off-sitetesting laboratory, which is capable of testingfor weather-tightness, airtightness up to 5,000Pa,deflection, static pressure testing and peakpressure testing to all European and interna-

tional standards. The lab is the first of its kindin Ireland and lends itself to the full complimentof CWCT and AAMA requirements.

BET is INAB Accredited, meaning it has at-tained the highest level of qualification possi-ble as a testing specialist, and operates aquality management system and testing lab-oratory in accordance with ISO 17025. BEThas worked as building performance special-ist and consultant on many high profile andcomplex projects including various residentialdevelopments, the new Kerry Foods HQ, there-development of the Mater MisercordiaeHospital and the new DAA Terminal 2 andPier E at Dublin Airport.

Since 2001, BET has grown to be the largestbuilding compliance consultancy and testingcompany in Ireland. The company has grownfrom one office with one engineer in 2001 to14 full time staff with two regional offices andan off-site testing laboratory, Shannon said.

BETs sustainable engineering departmentoffers BREEAM, LEED, domestic and non-domestic BER certification, and thermal analysisof buildings and components to complimentits testing services. BET is also ITC levelthree qualified for carrying out thermal imag-ing surveys (level two is the minimum re-quired for building surveying).

Shannon added: BETs approach to achievinghigh standards of building energy performancehas always been to integrate energy performanceinto the building fabric, envelope systems andthermally good interface detailing. This method-ology ensures high levels of performancewhich are durable over the life of the building,not just when tested upon completion. We un-derstood from the very beginning that offeringsupport and expertise in design, off-site testingcompliance, site management, quality controland specialist training is the key to success-fully achieving high levels of energy perform-ance and a high performing external facade.

Building Envelope Technologies receivesArchitects Choice award

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Solas Bhrde centre picks up two sustainability awards

The Solas Bhrde centre in Co Kildare pickedup its second environmental award recently whenit won the prize for Sustainability Achievementat the 2014 Fit Out Awards at the beginning ofNovember. The award follows on from the projectpicking up the prize for Sustainability Initiativeof the Year at the Construction Industry Awardsduring the summer.

The building was designed by renowned eco-logical architects Solearth, who describe SolasBhrde as an education and retreat centrededicated to the teachings and memory of StBrigid. The centre is run by the Brigidine Sisters.

Solas Bhrde features an innovative, high-efficiencyheating system supplied by Wicklow-based com-pany Hotfoot and installed by EL Mechanical.

The M&E design was by Glenn Nunan of GNCE.Hotfoot supplied three Ice Stick hybrid heatpumps, which combine both air-source andground-source technology.

The Ice Stick is primarily an air-source heat pump,but when its very cold outside it can take ad-ditional heat from the ground, Jonathan Leonardof Hotfoot told Passive House Plus.

Leonard said that the system not only costless in terms of capital investment comparedto potential alternatives, but it is also largelymaintenance free. Solas Bhrde features two20kW Ice Stick heat pumps for the main buildingwhich comprises common areas, kitchens andmeeting rooms, and a third smaller Ice Stick forthe two apartments. Heat from both is delivered

by a Swedish OptiHeat underfloor heating systemwhich redistributes the solar gain within thebuilding.

The underfloor heating pipes on the south sideof the development re-circulate heat absorbedvia passive solar gain throughout the wholeunderfloor heating network, further boosting theefficiency of the system.

Hotfoot also supplied solar thermal panels atthe development, plus three Ecotank heat pumps.The Ecotank captures heat from steam gen-erated within bathrooms and uses it to deliverdomestic hot water when solar isnt available.

(above) Solearths award-winning Solas Bhrde centrein Kildare

Electric Ireland has announced that it will stoppaying its 9c feed-in tariff for the export of elec-tricity from micro-generators (such as solarPV) installed after the end of 2014. But Gal-way company PV Tech says that by divertingexcess PV-generated electricity for use else-where within the home, this decision need notprove costly for new PV users.

Most small PV systems would by default beusing most of their power on site anyway, sothe export tariff doesnt necessarily affect them,said Mike ORourke of PV Tech.

For medium and larger systems, users caninstall a controller that diverts excess power thatwould have been exported into a resistiveheating load (such as water, buffer or storageheating instead). This means that, rather thanexporting to the grid for no financial return,excess solar power can contribute to domestichot water or space heating.

Diverting excess electricity produced by the

PV to hot water first makes the most sense,because youve got a year round demand forhot water. And we find in most instances thatusing that, together with the PV, is a more costeffective option than solar water heating, ORourkesaid, adding that PV power used to displace buy-ing electricity saves the user up to 24c per kWh(unit), whereas each kWh of heat from a solarthermal system only saves the user between4c and 11c per kWh, depending on the users heatsource. The cheaper your heat source (eg woodpellet, log or heat pump), the lower your savingis from a solar thermal system, while the savingfrom solar PV is linked to the cost of electricity.

ORourke outlined a recent calculation he offereda client comparing solar PV and solar thermal.A given solar thermal system (to meet the re-newable energy target in TGD L) would con-tribute 2434.54 kWh of renewable heat peryear saving only 110 if all that heat was usedto reduce water heating costs, compared to purelyheating water with a wood burning boiler (at4.5c per kWh for heat from the logs).

By comparison, a small 1.24 kWp PV system(resulting in the same Part L contribution asthe solar thermal system) would produce in theregion of 1,125 kWh of renewable electricityper year. Most or all of this would be used toreduce the base load electricity demand, savingin the region of 225 to 270 (at 20c to 24cper kWh) on electricity bills.

A larger PV system delivering the same kWhas the solar thermal system using half theenergy as electricity and half as immersionheating would save around 353. Installinga hot water controller would further improvethis by ensuring any excess power generatedon top of this is also diverted to water heating.It is also possible to divert excess PV powerinto charging electric cars, ORourke said.

Solar PV systems installed before the end ofthis year are still eligible for the feed-in tariff, andthe tariff has been rolled forward again until atleast the end of 2015 for anyone currently on thetariff, or signed up before the end of the year.

PV can still save money withoutfeed-in tariff PV Tech


News

Cork company launchesIrish-made thermally brokenwindow sills A new Irish company is manufacturing windowsills in County Cork designed to eliminate ther-mal bridging at this critical building junction.Founded by Patrick Beausang, Passive Sillsproduces window sills and over sills from ahigh density expanded polystyrene core thatis coated with a polymer resin.

Previously with concrete window sills, the sill wasa detail you tried to insulate. Whereas now with thisproduct, the sill is the insulation, Beausang said.

The resin, which the company developed itself,is designed to give the sills a traditional appear-ance. Beausang said: In Ireland, we like ourtraditional stone and concrete sills. We dontlike putting an aluminium sill on a Georgianbuilding. What we have done is develop some-thing with all thermal efficiency you require,but that looks like a stone or concrete sill.

Passive Sills has its own factory in Middleton,Co Cork, and is supported by both the EnterpriseIreland New Frontiers entrepreneur develop-

ment programme at the Rubicon Centre in CIT,and the South Cork Local Enterprise Office.

Weve been manufacturing for about 18 months.I started off making them in my garage, and wenow have a 4,000 square foot factory.

The company is currently going for BBA cer-tification, and Beausang said that the producthas been used on about 50 projects to date. Hesaid the sills are capable of supporting a quarterof a tonne of weight on a one metre section.

Beausang added that because the polystyrenecore is high density and inherently resistant tomoisture and condensation, it doesnt requirea damp proof course and doesnt experiencecondensation.

Passive Sills are lightweight, designed foreasy installation and painting, and suitable forall types of construction. They can be usedas over sills which cover existing window sills,or for new window sill installations.

(above) Passive Sills feature a high density expandedpolystyrene core but offer a traditional sill look; PassiveSills founder Patrick Beausang

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Hammond Roof & Energy secure SolthermEWI agencyDublin-based company Hammond Roof &Energy has become the exclusive Irish agentfor Solix Soltherm external wall insulationsystems. The companys Nick Hammond toldPassive House Plus that unlike most EWIsystems, the Soltherm HD Weather systemcan dry quickly in wet weather, giving it a dis-tinct advantage on the Irish market.

Its not an acrylic system, its a silicone HDsystem. It doesnt depend on the atmosphereto dry, its a chemical drying reaction, he said.

Hammond said many applicators wont applyEWI renders between October and March be-cause weather conditions arent suitable. Butthis system is waterproof within an hour of dry-ing. It can be used in damp conditions, he said.

He added that Soltherm has been tested for algaes,lichens and mosses that grow in Ireland and theUK, and that the nature of the system meansthese organisms simply cant adhere to the render.

Its a self cleaning system and you have noalgaes, mosses or lichens that will grow onit, he said, explaining that the nature of thesilicone topcoat means it is being continuouslyrinsed clean by the rain.

Hammond also told Passive House Plus thatSolix has also now launched Soltherm HD Ul-timate, an advanced new impact-resistent externalinsulation system. Its virtually indestructible,he said, because of the build-up of the rendersand the meshes.

Soltherm incorporates Xtratherm platinumEPS in all its systems as standard and is NSAIcertified. Hammond comes from a backgroundin the roofing industry, which his family hasbeen in for four generations, and said this hasinstilled in him a philosophy of quality work-manship which has carried through to his in-sistence on working closely with quality applicatorsfor Soltherm.

Hammond said his company will not simplysell a product over the counter, but will onlysupply an entire system with the associatedtechnical support and backup. Hammond Roof& Energy also provides free training in Solthermto suitable tradespeople to ensure applicatorsare properly skilled in installing the system.

(right) The new Department of Justice building inTipperary town as featured on pp44-51 of thisissue used the Soltherm external insulation system.

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Go rainscreen clad to protect building fabric Elemental More and more architects and specifiers arechoosing rainscreen cladding systems for theprotection they offer the building fabric, in ad-dition to their aesthetic benefits, according toMark Walsh of architectural cladding supplierElemental.

Walsh said that while many architects specifyrainscreens for architectural reasons suchas to visually break up facades they alsohave more important benefits in terms of pro-tecting the building fabric from the elements.

I think designers are understanding more andmore that its not just an aesthetic appeal, its afunctional appeal, he said. Its about protectingthe fabric of the building.

Walsh said that specifying a rainscreen canbenefit thermal performance too, as it providesa protective layer that enables architects andcontractors to install insulation externally ratherthan internally which has knock-on benefitsin terms of thermal performance and reducedthermal bridging.

Also, by having your insulation on the outsideof the building, moisture can move out throughthe structure, enter the cavity behind the rain-screen and then vent away, he said.

Walsh has been selling rainscreen claddingsto the Irish market since the late 1990s, whenhe brought Trespa systems to Ireland. He es-tablished his new company, Elemental, 18 monthsago. The company supplies rainscreen claddingfrom manufacturers such as Trespa, Parklexand Stacbond.

Elemental also supplies associated aluminiumsubframe systems. The aluminium sub-framessupplied by the company feature thermal iso-

lators as standard to cut out thermal bridging.

Walsh said that while cavity wall is still the de-fault method of construction in Ireland, specifyinga rainscreen instead of the outer block leafcan enable clients to increase the square footageof their building by minimising wall thickness.

One of the things about rainscreens is to get

detailing right from the start to enable the rainscreenprinciple to work, he said. He added that El-emental pays careful attention to carrying outstatic calculations to ensure subframe systemswill stand up to harsh weather.

(above) Trespa rainscreen cladding, used here in OxleyPark, Milton Keynes, available in Ireland via Elemental

Tradecraft Building Products has announcedthe launch of new Fakro roof windows to the Irishmarket. The new Fakro windows are designedfor use in flat roofs and come in two types,one with a horizontal profile and one with atransparent polycarbonate dome.

The windows are available in triple and quadruple-glazed units, with overall U-values getting as lowas 0.55 for one of the quadruple-glazed systems.

The frame of the flat-roof window is manufacturedwith multi-chamber PVC profiles. The materialsfrom which the profiles are made have a highresistance against acids and very low mois-ture absorption, meaning the window can beinstalled in any room of the house. The profilesare filled with insulation, thus improving theenergy saving parameters of the product.

The windows are available in electrically opened,manually opened or non-opened versions. Theservo-motor in electrically opened windows ispositioned in the sash and is protected againstadverse weather conditions such as rain and

snow, in order to ensure trouble free operationof the servo-motor and all control elements.The electrically operated windows also havea built-in sensor that automatically activatesthe sash closing function when it rains.

The specially designed shapes of the flat-roofwindow profiles give a glazing area that is upto 16% greater when compared with othermanufacturers windows of a similar size, ac-cording to Fakro.

Meanwhile Fakro has also launched the DWFL-shaped combination doors, which are intendedto be built into L-shaped walls to provide accessto the storage space behind.

The white 66mm thick sash with thermo-in-sulating material, provides an excellent barrierthat reduces heat loss (U-value of 0.64), ac-cording to Fakro. The doors may be installed intwo versions of opening (right or left), and areequipped with 35mm wide architrave in naturalcolour as standard. The doors are available inIreland from Tradecraft.

Tradecraft launches Fakro flat-roof windows

The recent green paper on energypolicy in Ireland, published in May 2014,suggests that Ireland reaching the EUtarget of a 20% reduction in energy useby 2020 will deliver collective societalsavings valued at 2.36 billion.

As part of this economic and envi-ronmental drive, the Building (Part LAmendment) Regulations 2011 aim toachieve 60% aggregate improvementsover the 2005 standards in both theenergy performance and associatedcarbon emissions of new dwellingsfrom 1 December 2011. Given thatresidential energy represents over aquarter of final energy use, theframework underpinning these targetshas massive potential for Ireland.

Part L plays a fundamental role inaddressing climate change by settingout a methodology for achieving thesetargets. It does this by providing abalance of reducing energy demandsby implementation of energy savingmeasures on the one hand, while atthe same time increasing the use ofrenewables.

A key question is how Part L can besatisfied in practice. Although alreadyin place for six years (Ed. formerenvironment minister John Gormleyintroduced 40% energy & carbon re-ductions and mandatory renewableenergy systems in 2008) Part L obli-gations and how they may be achievedremains somewhat abstruse, particularlywhen it comes to the role of renewableenergy. Many ambiguities remain inrespect of alternative methods ofcompliance to what is set out in thePart L technical guidance document.This applies most saliently in the caseof houses which are designed to thepassive house standard, where thesorts of specifications that result maydiffer from those of buildings whereSEAIs Dwelling Energy AssessmentProcedure (DEAP) has played a moreprominent role.

The Legal Framework

Part L deals specifically with the con-servation of fuel and energy. In particular,Part L 3(b) provides a regulatory meas-ure which requires that a reasonableproportion of the energy consumptionto meet the energy performance of thedwellings is provided by renewableenergy sources.

The technical guidance documentdrafted to accompany Part L sets outhow the legal requirements of eachpart may be achieved in practice.However, while these lengthy documentsprovide ample detail on methods ofhow one may comply with Part L,they do not have the force of law. Ina manner of speaking, the text of PartL sets out the letter of the law and thetechnical guidance document sets outa how to of achieving compliance withthe law. However, it must be regardedthat this does not present the onlyhow to.

Primary consideration must be givento the law every person to whom alegislative instrument applies isunder a legal duty to comply with it.The technical guidance document,however, is not a legislative instrument.As set out in article 7 of the BuildingRegulations 1997 the status of thetechnical guidance document is suchthat, where works are carried out inaccordance with the technical guidance

document, such works will, primafacie, indicate compliance with therequirements of Part L. The technicalguidance document itself furtherstates that what is contained thereinis not mandatory, and that the adoptionof design and construction approachesother than those outlined in the technicalguidance document is not precludedprovided that the relevant requirementsof Part L are complied with. This un-doubtedly generates concern for thosetasked with enforcing compliancewith Part L.

Ultimately, the objectives giving riseto Part L and moreover, the theorybehind the technical guidance documentare derived from principles of EU law.Thus, it can be argued that a purposiveinterpretation is required when as-certaining what must be achieved inlight of the EU legal framework un-derpinning Part L.

The background of European Law

The patchwork quilt of EU energyregulation legislation is broad; however,looking to the overarching principlesin Directive 2009/28/EC on renewableenergy1, known as the RES Direc-tive, and the Energy Performance ofBuildings Directives2 can perhapsshed some light on how best to inter-pret the logic behind Part L.

The RES Directive requires nationalbuilding regulations to deliver increasesin renewable energy. It provides inarticle 13 (4) that member statesshall introduce appropriate measuresto increase the share of all kinds ofenergy from renewable sources in thebuilding sector. This further providesthat in establishing such measures,member states may take into accountnational measures relating to sub-stantial increases in energy efficiencyand relating to cogeneration and topassive, low or zero-energy buildings.This is supported by Recital 48 ofthe RES Directive, which states thatin facilitating minimum levels for re-newables in buildings, it may be ap-propriate for member states toprovide that levels are achieved byincorporating a factor for energyfrom renewable sources in meetingthe requirements of the 2002 EnergyPerformance of Buildings Directive.

Passive house: an alternativemethod of meeting Part L?

As many Passive House Plus readers are aware, one of the great riddles of sustainable building in Ireland isthat its possible to make a building too energy efficient to meet our energy efficiency regulations ormore specifically to meet the guidance document associated with that regulation. But targets set out inguidance documents are not legally binding, argues Philip Lee, an expert in energy law, meaningthere may be room for proven low energy building approaches such as the passive house standard with a few caveats to satisfy aspects of Part L to be accepted as alternative methods of compliance.

The text of Part L setsout the letter of thelaw and the technicalguidance documentsets out a how to ofachieving compliancewith the law. Howeverit does not present theonly how to

Recital 19 of the RES Directive remindsmember states that in evaluating therealisation of national targets set, theoptimal combination of energy effi-ciency technologies with energy fromrenewable sources should be takeninto account.

However, this directive goes evenfurther, requiring that by 31 December2014, member states will have to require the use of minimum levels ofenergy from renewable resources3

both in new buildings and existingbuildings that are subject to majorrenovation.

Recital 32 of the RES Directive providesthat passive energy systems whichuse building design to harness energyis considered to be energy saved. Toavoid double counting, the RES Directiveasserts that such energy savingsshould not be taken into account forthe purposes of the directive. Arguablythis would then imply that the mandatoryinclusion of minimum renewables isin addition to any energy saved byvirtue of a passive design. In effect,this somewhat undermines the con-cept of the passive house approachby its inference that an extremely en-ergy efficient passive house, whichin light of its design intrinsically requireslittle energy for space heating or coolingmay potentially be obliged to generateenergy in the form of renewables inorder to meet the targets envisaged.

Directive 2002/91/EC on the EnergyPerformance of Buildings providedthe foundations for Part L by requiringmember states to ensure minimumenergy performance requirementsfor buildings, using a methodologywhich calculates the overall energyconsumption for space heating, cooling,water heating and lighting, as prescribedby article 3. Directive 2010/31/EU onthe Energy Performance of Buildings(EPBD) (Recast), which replaces the

2002 Energy Performance of BuildingsDirective, builds on this by mandatingmember states to ensure that all newbuildings will be nearly zero-energybuildings by 31 December 2020. TheEnergy Performance of BuildingsRegulations, which transpose the2010 Recast Energy Performance ofBuildings Directive into Irish law cameinto force in January 2013, reinforcingthe Part L obligations.

The compliance conundrum

How do you know if you are achievinga target that is not sufficiently defined?The calculation of compliance withPart L is via DEAP. Part L 3 (b)refers to a reasonable proportion ofrenewable energy resources. However,the technical guidance document doesnot define a reasonable proportion.Nonetheless it sets the followingreasonable minimum level targetsto be provided by renewable energytargets in order to satisfy RegulationL3 (b):

- 10 kWh/m2/yr contributing to energyuse for domestic hot water heating,space heating or cooling; or- 4 kWh/m2/yr of electrical energy; or - A combination of these which wouldhave equivalent effect.

What is most unclear in the frameworksurrounding Part L is the assumptionregarding the amount of heat used ina house that is consistent with Part L.According to Irelands 2009 NationalEnergy Efficiency Action Plan, whenfully operative, the primary energy use fora typical new dwelling constructed toPart L requirements will be 60 kWh/m/yr.(Ed. this assertion depends on themix of house types built. The morebuildings that are built with worseform factors such as detachedhomes and in particular bungalows,

the higher the energy demand of theaverage Part L compliant buildingwill be. If on the other hand theres asurge in apartment building, expectthe average energy demand for PartL compliant homes to drop.)

Primary energy, as defined in thetechnical guidance document, doesnot include energy derived from on-site renewable energy technologies.In addition, as renewable energytechnologies are generally charac-terised by zero, or greatly reduced,CO2 emissions, the calculated EPC(Energy Performance Coefficient)and CPC (Carbon Performance Co-efficient) are reduced by the extentthat they reduce traditional fossilfuels. This begs the question ofwhether legal compliance with Part Lcan be achieved, notwithstandingthe technical guidance document, aslong as there is a reduction in thebrown energy being used.

The application of Part L to pas-

sive house

A house built to the passive housestandard has an average maximumspace heating demand of15kWh/m2/year, an airtightness levelof 0.6 air changes per hour measuredat 50 Pascals and an overall maximumprimary energy use of 120 kWh/m2/yr,counting plug in energy use in additionto space heating, cooling, hot water,lighting and ventilation (with both spaceheating demand and maximum primaryenergy use calculated via PHPP).However, it is important to commentthat comparing Part L to passivehouse is akin to comparing appleswith elephants, as the passive housetakes a number of different elementsinto consideration.

In light of this, using the example of

comment

Comparing Part L topassive house is akinto comparing appleswith elephants, as thepassive house takesa number of differentelements into consideration

SEAIs Deap software: a house that meets the energy & carbon targets under TGD L, but fails to hitthe renewables target. Is Deap incorrect in asserting it fails to comply with Part Ls renewablestarget, when the target is only expressed in the TGD, meaning alternative methods may be used?

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a passive house, which is built to ahigh energy efficiency specificationand requires less fossil energy tostart off with, would such a passivehouse be deemed compliant withPart L where it could be argued thata reasonable proportion of the energyconsumption is provided by renewableenergy sources but where the proportiondiffers from the values set out in thetechnical guidance document? If thiswould not be the case, this certainlyundermines the concept of the passivehouse. Building control authoritiesare in the dark in relation to situationsof houses built to standards differingfrom the restrictive formula set out inthe technical guidance document,which focuses on the application ofassumptions contained therein.

In this context it is useful to refer backto the purpose of the RES Directive,which is the promotion of the use ofenergy from renewable sources inorder to achieve energy savings andto reduce fossil fuel dependence.The RES Directive requires memberstates to introduce appropriate meas-ures to increase the share of energyfrom renewable sources in buildings,including passive buildings. That re-quirement was to be introduced inmember states on or before 5 December2010. The use of appropriate in thatparagraph could have allowed (in thecase of passive house) there to be nominimum amount of renewable energy.

However, the directive provides inthe third sub-paragraph of article 4.3that four years later, namely by 31December 2014 member states mustrequire the use of minimum levels ofenergy from renewable sources in newbuildings and existing buildings sub-ject to major renovation. There is noexemption. Accordingly, from December2014, even new passive houses musthave a minimum renewable energy.

From this it is clear that the currenttechnical guidance document andPart L will have to be updated beforeDecember 2014 to at least reflect theapplication of varying standards fordifferent types of building specifications,in particular to reflect a situationwhere a building has already taken

substantial measures to reduce theenergy consumption. In the meantime(i.e. before December 2014), if onetakes the approach (which is quitecorrect) that the technical guidanceis (as it suggests) no more thanmere guidance, one is left with inter-preting what is a reasonable propor-tion of renewable energy asrequired by Part L.

Apart from the immediate and obviousproblem that Part L will, from Decemberof this year be in breach of the RESDirective as it should specify a mini-mum and not a proportion, there areperhaps two ways of approaching this.It could be argued that the proportionof renewable energy to fossil fuelsinherent in the technical guidance

document could also be applied to apassive house. Therefore, if a passivehouse consumes 50% less primaryenergy, then the proportion of re-newables set out in the technicalguidance document, namely 10 kWh/m2

(heating) and 4 kWh/m2 (electricalenergy), should be reduced by 50%to 5 kWh/m2 and 2 kWh/m2

respectively.4 An alternative approachto the same interpretation of rea-sonable would be to look at the netbalance of brown energy that is pro-duced in a standard house and com-pare that to the net brown energyproduced in a passive house. Pro-vided that the net amount of fossilfuel being consumed in the passivehouse is less than that being con-sumed in a standard house then itcould be argued that any actual en-ergy coming from renewable sourceswould meet the reasonable test.Both of course are unsatisfactory. Asfar as we understand there is noready system to accurately comparethe primary energy consumed in apassive house compared to the primaryenergy consumed in a traditionalhouse. It is our understanding thatDEAP, which is produced by SEAI, isa very rough and ready reckoner anddoes not go into sufficient detail todistinguish between an estimate of theactual energy consumption from ahouse built to passive standardscompared to a typical house designedto TGD L 2011.

Conclusion

The first conclusion to arrive at must bethat the Department of the Environmentmust update the technical guidancedocument and Part L itself. What isalso clear is that someone constructinga passive house after 2014 shouldderive at least some of its energy fromrenewable sources. However, the currentregulations and technical guidancedocument if unaltered will be unen-forceable as setting a reasonableproportion will no longer be the correcttest. Prior to December 2014 passivehouse builders can, with likely successcompare, either their percentage ofrenewables to the percentage in thetechnical guidance document or comparetheir net fossil fuel consumption tothe estimated net fossil fuel set outin the technical guidance document.For those seeking to enforce Part L,good luck!

This article has been written byPhilip Lee (managing and foundingpartner) with the assistance of AnnaCrowley of Philip Lee Solicitors. Philipis widely recognised internationallyfor his energy law expertise. If yourequire advice or would like furtherinformation, please contact Philip [email protected]

This article is for information purposes

only and does not represent the views

of our clients or constitute legal or

other advice. Readers should obtain

their own legal and other advice as

may be required. Philip Lee does not

accept responsibility for information

on third-party websites.

1Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the useof energy from renewable resources, which setsmandatory national targets for the overall shareof energy from renewable sources in gross finalconsumption of energy. 2Directive 2010/31/EU on the Energy Performanceof Buildings (EPBD) (Recast) replaced Directive2002/91/EC on the Energy Performance of Buildings.3Article 13 (4) of Directive 2009/28/EC.4Ed. this could be simplified by switching from akWh target to an equivalent percentage perhapsa requirement that 10 or 15% of a buildings primaryenergy demand be met with renewable energysources, or a smaller percentage in the case ofmicrogeneration. Though the RES Directive re-quires minimum levels of renewable energy, thedirective doesnt stipulate that this must be a kWhtarget, meaning Ireland could satisfy this requirementby setting an equivalent minimum percentage tothe targets currently outlined in TGD L. This wouldarguably satisfy the RES Directive requirementsbetter than an absolute kWh target, in that it wouldaddress the requirements of article 13 to take intoaccount national measures relating to substantialincreases in energy efficiency and relating to co-generation and to passive, low or zero-energybuilding. In other words, it would ensure that aminimum renewable energy target didnt preventpeople from making buildings too energy efficient,as there would be no pressure to keep the buildingsenergy demand sufficiently and needlessly largeto ensure renewables could meet a kWh target. Itwould also ensure that the renewables obligationdoesnt cause buildings to breach the requirementsof Part L 3(a) that buildings be designed to limitthe calculated primary energy consumption andrelated carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions insofaras is reasonably practicable. If a client finds itreasonably practicable to go beyond the minimumenergy and carbon reduction targets, but feelscompelled to make their building less efficient inorder to satisfy an inflexible renewable energytarget, leading to net increases in fossil energyuse, carbon emissions and energy bills, does thefact that theyve made the building less efficientthan they found reasonably practicable not meanthat they are in breach of Part L3(a)?

Part L will have to be updated beforeDecember 2014 to at least reflect theapplication of varying standards fordifferent types of building specifications,in particular to reflect a situation where abuilding has already taken substantialmeasures to reduce energy consumption

The Zero Carbon Hubs recent work withindustry has found extensive evidenceof a considerable performance gapbetween the energy use of new homesas-designed and the actual use of thecompleted building. This gap occurswhen a home requires more energythan was predicted during its design,before taking into account the behaviourof occupants.

This gap represents a significant risk tothe UKs carbon reduction commitments.It has the potential to result in higherthan expected household energy bills,undermining buyer confidence in new(low carbon) homes. As we approachthe zero carbon homes target of 2016,housebuilders are producing higherperforming homes and need to beconfident that they perform as intended.

Since January 2013, the Zero CarbonHub has carried out an extensive studythat involved over 160 experts and21 live house building sites acrossthe UK. This project forms the initialphase of industry activity to addressthe performance gap, the ultimateaim being that by 2020 a minimum of90% of all new homes meet or performbetter than their design.

At the start of the research there wasa misconception that the performancegap was simply caused by inaccuracieswithin energy modelling software andpoor construction practice on site.The evidence review report showedthat a gap can arise due to issues atvarious stages of the building process.Throughout this practice, a number ofcross-cutting themes keep recurring:unclear allocation of responsibility;poor communication of information; anda lack of understanding, knowledgeand skills.

As part of the wider research, a housebuilding process review was developedand undertaken throughout 2013 -2014, which included detailed analy-sis of over 200 plots across 21 sitesof different sizes throughout the UK.Two multi-disciplinary teams led byindustry experts (including myself)spent a week analysing each site,comprising: project team interviews,a construction site walkthrough, a

design review and SAP audits. Thisprocess was then supplemented ona number of sites with on-site testingusing thermography and air-testingacross a selection of the plots.

The site inspections analysed severalhundred elements of the buildings atall stages of construction. Any deviationsfrom the design were fully documentedwith good and poor practice noted, andgraded in terms of impact on as-builtperformance. The energy performancewas then analysed using SAP andsite findings to ascertain the gap interms of KgCO2/m2 (% improvementover dwelling emission rate). This couldbe compared to the original SAP andenergy performance certificate (EPC).

The review has identified 15 priorityissues that require action to begin toaddress the performance gap. Theseinclude: planners failing to understandthe energy challenges, current materialand product testing protocols not re-flecting 'real world' dynamic conditionswhen calculating thermal performance,procurement teams failing to considerenergy related site skills when reviewingtenders, and site managers consideringenergy related issues as a comparativelylow priority during their quality checks.

For the house building industry, researchand development is needed to createinnovative and commercially viablemethods to test and measure the en-ergy use of completed homes, so thatindustry can understand their trueperformance. The industry also needsto embed energy literacy across thesector, with all professionals and op-eratives undertaking energy training andupskilling. As a result of the project,the government has indicated it is keento work with industry to develop a newconstruction details scheme which willbe set up to provide assured, as-builtenergy performance for the mostcommon major building fabric elementsand junctions.

In place of immediate additional reg-ulation, the government must clearlyindicate that it expects the constructionindustry to act now to ensure that theperformance gap is being addressed;industry must then commit todemonstrating that this has beenachieved by 2020. The complianceregime needs to be strengthened, witha number of refinements to energymodelling and verification procedures.Lastly, the government should stipulatethat only energy-certified operatives andprofessionals be employed on publicland developments from 2017, whichwould accelerate demand for industry

developed qualification schemes.

While the project did not specificallylook at the benefits of the passivehouse methodology, the principlescan play a part in reducing the per-formance gap. The site inspectionsand interviews have witnessed goodpractice stemming from the passivehouse standard, and some of thishas fed into the recommendations forindustry and government. However ata larger scale, passive house projects stillsuffer the same issues and demonstratea significant performance gap.

Common problems are found at groundfloor and foundation junctions, whereinsulation is inconsistent or missingand significant thermal bridging occurs.Other areas causing deviation from thedesign are poor installation of insulation,incorrect window performance, optimisticU-values/Psi-values and unaccountedthermal bridging. Site inspections maynot pick up on optimistic product per-formance, site installation factors suchas rain soaked insulation, hiddenthermal bridges, site tolerances, levelthresholds, or window performanceand installation.

The passive house methodology canassist in helping to reduce the per-formance gap with early stage con-sideration of energy performance androbust compliance and commissioningprocedures. Site inspections are alsocrucial to delivery on site, but this isdifficult to ensure on a larger scalewithout significant extra resources. Ithas proven successful on small sitesof less than 20-30 units, but getsharder on larger sites with hundredsof workers and more units to bemonitored. In Belgium and other partsof Europe, passive house has beendelivered on a large scale with the helpof offsite construction, but the UK in-dustry currently has very differentpriorities and procurement methods.

With the completion of the end of termreport, the proposals are now movingforwards, to 2020 and beyond. If youwould like more information on ZeroCarbon Hubs current projects, or ifyou have further evidence or projectsthat could be included in the researchon the performance gap, please getin touch and sign up to the newsletterat www.zerocarbonhub.org

Tom Dollard is head of sustainabledesign at Pollard Thomas Edwards. Heleads a research team which inspected21 sites for the Zero Carbon Hubperformance gap report throughout2013-2014.

How to close the performance gapThe gap between designed and real-life energy performance in new dwellings is a significantthreat to the UKs plans to deliver zero carbon homes. Architect Tom Dollard describes researchby the Zero Carbon Hub to better understand this performance gap and how to fix it.

The industry needs toembed energy literacyacross the sector

Taller Passive House,

Mexico CityPhotos: Moritz Bernoully

Mexicos first certified passive house is the retrofitof a roof-top apartment in the countrys capital.This small space was originally built cheaplyin 2007, mostly with plywood.

But while living in Germany, Mexican architectAlejandro Herrera trained in the principles ofenergy efficient building. When he returned tohis homeland in 2011, he decided to upgradethe apartment his home to the passive

house standard. Herrera led the project alongwith Maris Igea, his partner at Inhab SustainableArchitecture.

One of the biggest challenges for the architectswas the lack of a passive house supply chain,in terms of skills or products, in Mexico. Contractorshad to be trained in passive house principles,while experts travelled from overseas to adviseon the build.

But in some ways, meeting the passive housestandard was easier in the warm Mexican climate.The apartment achieves a space heating demandof 15 kWh/m2/yr with double-glazing, with wall,roof and floor U-values of between 0.3 and 0.4.

Heat recovery ventilation was not required either,just simple mechanical extract ventilation.

The team insulated the entire building envelopewith EPS, and airtightness is provided by theOSB along with Siga tapes and membranes.Now, a single electric heater is enough to heatthe whole apartment.

The architects say: A lot of collaborative worktook place, it involved a big effort and a deepcommitment, and it was all worth it. The finishedbuilding is not just the first certified passivehouse building in Mexico, its also the first cer-tified passive residential building in all of LatinAmerica.

INTERNATIONALSELECTIONThis issues selection features ultra low energy buildings from Mexico, Germany, New Zealand and Italy,and illustrates how widely the energy efficiency specification can vary in different climate zones.

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Day care building,

Georg-August-University,

GermanyPhotos: Jochen Stber, Hamburg & Olaf Baumann, Hanover

Completed in 2010, this day centre for GttingenUniversity was designed by Despang Architekten,who describe it as a hybrid of landscape andarchitecture. The buildings north and westfacades are earth-bermed, but the south facadeforms a passive solar curtain-wall with views tothe outdoor playground and landscaping. Thisglazed facade is comprised of a timber-aluminiumpost-and-beam structure with extensive triple-

glazing.

The walls and ceilings were constructed fromlarge, prefabricated concrete elements to minimisethe number of joints. The walls were externallyinsulated and the building is topped with a greenroof, while the earth-bermed surfaces help toreduce energy loss, too. The building achievedan airtightness result of 0.43 ACH, comfortablywithin the target for passive buildings, and hasa space heating demand of 15 kWh/m2/yr.

The material palette inside concrete, glass,spruce wood, linoleum was in part chosen toavoid off-gassing materials, and the concretefinishes are extended outside the building via

thermally broken concrete frames.

These external concrete elements are functionaltoo: they provide seating at their bases, guardrails for the roof, and static shading. The concreteframes also contain dynamic shades whichcan be pulled down in summer to controloverheating and glare.

Passive solar gain is the buildings main heatsource, backed up by the campus-wide dis-trict heating and standalone water heaters.During summer nights, the building is flushedwith cool air. But when the shades are up inwinter, the low sun penetrates deep inside to warmup the thermally massive concrete structure.

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Whanau, Auckland,

New ZealandPhotos: Simon Devitt

New Zealands first certified passive housestarted out typically enough: architect DarrenJessop was approached by Phillip and CarolynIvanier, a couple wishing to build their firstfamily home. They wanted a modern open-planfamily dwelling, and a degree of separationbetween the adult and child spaces.

But with the design already settled, and promptedby New Zealands low building insulation standards,

the clients made a game-changing request: thatthe dwelling meet the passive house standard.

The windows were minimised on the southside of the home where they would loseheat in the southern hemisphere and over-hangs were extended over the north-facingglass to prevent overheating.

The roof and double-stud walls of this split-leveltimber frame house are insulated with glass-wool, but in the subtropical climate of Auckland,respective U-values of 0.37 and 0.23 wereenough to meet the passive house standard, aswere double-glazed windows. Below groundlevel, the basement walls are of insulated con-

crete formwork. Meanwhile the airtight wrapof the house is provided by a Proclima Intellovapour membrane.

Ventilation is provided by a Zehnder heat re-covery ventilation system, while an air sourceheat pump delivers hot water. The house alsohas rainwater collection and solar photovoltaics.

On completion of the project, Jessop estimatedthat meeting the passive house standardadds around 10 to 12% to build costs in NewZealand. But he says the occupiers will re-coup much more than this amount if they livein the house over its lifetime while enjoyinga warm, comfortable, healthy home.

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Passive House Pichler,

Pfitsch, ItalyPhotos: Arthur Pichler

This striking certified passive house in the ItalianAlps was designed by architects Arthur Pichlerand Walter Colombi. The brief was to design asustainable, open-plan building with ultra lowenergy consumption.

The top floor of the building contains a singleflat with its own entrance made possible bythe sloping site while the two-storey flatbelow leads directly onto the garden. In winter,the glazed south facade acts as a solar stove,the architects say, to deliver passive solar heating.Orienting the building to the south shelters itfrom the harsh northerly alpine winds too.

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Passive solar gain and heat recovery ventilationare the main sources of space heating. There isalso a small Windhager wood pellet boiler thatprovides hot water, and can deliver heat throughthe ventilation system in the coldest weather.

The timber frame walls and roof are insulatedwith Thermohemp, while the floor has a meaty420mm of extruded polystyrene insulation.The buildings annual heat demand is just 9kWh/m2/yr, well inside the passive house markof 15, and airtightness is 0.4 air changes perhour. Passive House Pichler also has a greenroof that helps to keep it warm in winter andcool in summer and soaks up rainwater too.

And as one of its architects, Arthur Pichlerhad special motivation to get the house right:he lives on the lower floors with his youngfamily, while his parents live upstairs.

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For me there was a strong wish with this houseto produce a design that would demonstratethat achieving the passive house standardwas not an impediment to good architecture.Two years ago, at the Better Building conferencein Dublin, one of Irelands leading educatorsof young architects argued that great architectureshould be exempt from energy efficiency reg-ulations, because having to comply would ex-cessively interfere with the expression of hisarchitecture. It is tragic to think that a great ar-chitect believes he cannot accommodate robustdetailing within his artistic objective.

We can only counteract this attitude by proving itwrong. I think it is incumbent on clients anddesigners of passive houses to ensure thatonly the highest standard of design is achievedin passive buildings. A passive house certificateis not a substitute for good architecture. Sustainablebuildings which are aesthetically poor createan example to be used by those who are notinclined to produce low-energy buildings, andwant an excuse. Therefore high performancebuildings must also be beautiful.

Its interesting to take a look back at the story

of this passive house from our current per-spective. Its safe to say that we are in a verydifferent place in mid 2014 economically, to wherewe were when this house was being built in2009 and 2010. At that stage, the wheels hadjust fallen off the wagon in the Irish constructionsector. It was a frightening time to procure abuilding. For those of us young enough for it tobe our first recession, it brought new challengesthat we had never experienced before.

This project was completed in late 2010 andearly 2011, and as I reacquaint myself with theproject file for the purpose of researching thisarticle, I see that most of the companies and per-sonalities involved are no longer in business.Some got into difficulty during this project, andothers have wound up since its completion.

Fiona Nolan, the client and owner of this house,is one of the members of the eco-village atCloughjordan, Co Tipperary. I met Fiona at theCultivate sustainability centre in Dublin in 2007,where she attended a planning day for theeco-village members. At the time, I was con-sidering becoming a member myself, and hadstarted attending some events to get a feel for

what was being planned. I also took the opportunityto set up a stall at the event describing my profes-sional services. From that event, I was luckyenough to pick up three clients in the eco-vil-lage for whom I would go on to design homes.Fionas is the only one constructed to date, aschanging circumstances in those turbulent timesprevented the others from going ahead. Fionawas fortunate enough to be able to proceed.

Since setting up my practice in 2004, I have alwaysappre

Documents

Passive house plus issue 9 (Irish edition)