News
passivehouse+ | Issue 14
Linham brings Geocell foam glass gravel & aggregate to Ireland Linham Construction has just announced the introduction of Geocell foam glass gravel and aggregate in Ireland. Managing Director, Frank Flynn, says that with the advent of the revised building regulations, the time is right to introduce the Geocell product range. “With the new building regulations, combined with the lack of recent development, building industry professionals must up-skill themselves,” he says. “We believe the building community should embrace proven emerging techniques. For Linham Construction the selection of Geocell was simple.”
Flynn said the product removes the need for strip foundations and rising walls, which gives the added advantage of a reduced depth of dig, as well as reduced insulation wastage and damage during installation. Due to its weight and size, it can be easily be manipulated around obstacles and pipework, which means that the concrete floor can be laid on the same day, saving time and expense.
Frank Flynn adds: “Being quicker to install than conventional methods not only saves time, it can reduce the quantity of concrete needed to safely transpose the loads of a house to the ground because of the impressive load capacity of the material.” (below) Geocell foam glass aggregate, available in Ireland via Linham Construction
At 150Kg/m3, the product is extremely light and has impressive compressive strength (6 tonnes/m2). It is breathable, is Pyrite-free, uses neither hydrocarbons nor petrochemicals and is made from 100% recycled material. “Since the introduction of Geocell products, we have been approached in relation to a wide array of applications, from roof gardens to railways,” says Flynn. “However our main focus for Geocell aggregate is as a replacement for insulation board and stone fill — SR21.”
Nilan achieves best in class energy ratings Nilan Ireland has announced that all Nilan heat pumps have achieved best-in-class performance under the EU’s new Ecodesign Directive, which came into force last September.
The Ecodesign Directive sets the framework establishing requirements for the environmentally friendly design of energy-related products. It provides energy-related products with a label based on their energy efficiency, similar to the label which already exists for white goods such as refrigerators and washing machines. All of Nilan’s heat pumps achieve A++ ratings under the new labelling system. The popular Nilan Compact P combined heating & ventilation system for passive houses is classified as a water heater and achieves an A rating, the highest possible in that category. Nilan Ireland’s Maurice Falvey told Passive House Plus that as part of the directive all the company’s heat pumps are tested to the new EU standard EN14825 which sets criteria for the seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP) testing of heat pumps, to a design ambient air temperature of -10C, which Falvey pointed out is more than sufficient for the Irish market. “From my point of view it’s great because a potential purchaser anywhere in Europe can
select a heat pump from the same test criteria and knows exactly the SCOP based on their climate demands,” he said of the directive. He added that EN14825 assess the dynamic performance of heat pumps in real world conditions whereas, by contrast, SEAI’s Harp Database still uses the old EN14511 standard, which uses static conditions to determine COP. “SCOP testing does favour inverter operated heat pump compressors, as they meet space heating requirements more precisely whereas fixed stop-start heat pumps perform poorly in this case,” Falvey said. “For example, in Denmark only heat pumps tested to EN14825 are allowed on to their heat pump database after September 15, whereas EN14511 tested heat pumps were removed.” Nilan’s mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems will soon feature the energy labels too, Falvey told Passive House Plus. (left) Under the bonnet of the Nilan Compact P Geo, the ground-source heat model in the Compact P range.