passivehouse+ | Issue 1 Volume 1
News Photo: Lars Pettersson
Scandinavian Homes pass 50 passive house mark Galway-based passive house specialists Scandinavian Homes has just completed their 51st Irish project to the passive house standard, at Spiddal, Co Galway. The company's Lars Pettersson told Passive House Plus magazine that there's never been a more cost-effective time to build a passive house. Pettersson said that clients are choosing to build modest-sized homes compared to previous years, making it much more affordable to go passive. He said the company's 160 square metre Nordica 94 timber frame house is particularly popular at the moment, with two recently finished, a third about to be built. "It's a massively price-effective shape for a passive house, and at a budget that's affordable for most people," he said. He stressed that the key to the passive house concept is simplicity. "This means that the general shape of the house needs to be considered at an early stage," he said. "Customers most often design their houses themselves with a little help from our passive house architect. The original passive house concept envisioned simplicity in heating arrangements." He said his clients are seeking energy independence by installing a small multi-fuel stove, which he said can easily heat a passive house in combination with heat recovery ventilation. "We focus only on the 10 watts per square metre peak heat. If we focus on that, everything else falls into place. It's not terribly difficult to achieve that in Ireland," he said.
Pettersson said that a Scandinavian Homes built "super passive" house at Loughrea, Co Galway achieved an airtightness test result of 0.27 ACH. The house features 700mm of cellulose insulation in the attic, and 335mm of Paroc mineral in a double-stud timber frame wall system. Homeowner Declan Cunningham kept
a blog about construction of the house at www.h214dcu.blogspot.ie
(above) Declan Cunningham’s “super passive” house at Loughrea, Co Galway, built by ultra low energy building specialists Scandinavian Homes
Photo: Andrew Perrin for the Passivhaus Trust
UK Passivhaus Conference to hit Nottingham in November The UK Passivhaus Conference takes place on 7 and 8 November, 2012 at the East Midlands Conference Centre at the University of Nottingham. Organised by the Passivhaus Trust, the conference includes leading industry speakers from across the UK and Europe, UK passive house case studies, and an optional third day of visits to passive buildings. These include Interserve's passive house office in Leicester, plus a passive primary school and residential scheme. There will also be an exhibition of passive house products and services. Currently there are over 100 certified passive dwellings in the UK and about 20 certified non-domestic projects, Passivhaus Trust chief executive Jon Bootland told Passive House Plus. This includes five schemes of approximately 20 dwellings each, both in the private sector and social housing.
"In addition, we also know about several schemes in planning that will deliver over 50 certified dwellings, so we expect the number of completed Passivhaus buildings to approach 500 by the end of 2013 or early 2014," he said. Last year’s Passivhaus Conference attracted over 250 attendees and 25 exhibitors. There was a waiting list for the second day, which was completely sold out. The conference is geared towards all construction and built environment professionals, including architects, planners, building control officers, energy managers, builders, housing associations and researchers. A one day ticket this year costs £195 plus Vat, while a two day ticket costs £330 plus Vat. Dinner and site visits are extra. Preferential rates are available for Passivhaus Trust mem-
bers and students. For more information see www.passivhaustrust.org.uk (above) BRE director Nick Tune speaking at the first day of the 2011 Passivhaus Conference