Traditional screeds require significant drying before the final floor covering can be installed, however, if this is not well planned for, it may well delay the completion of the entire project.

All new buildings in south-east Dublin must be built to the passive house standard or demonstrably equivalent levels, in a move that may lead to the construction of upwards of 20,000 passive houses by 2022.

Leading airtightness and vapour control product manufacturer Ampack’s BBA certification now includes the company’s external systems — Ampatop Protecta, Ampatop Protecta plus, Ampatop Aero and Ampatop Aero plus.

Leading Irish low energy window supplier Ultimate Windows & Doors has introduced the Polish-manufactured Eko Okna low energy windows and door range, including airtight, thermally broken lift and slide doors.

Leading Irish heating supplier Origen Energy has launched the Genvex Combi 185 combined heat recovery ventilation and domestic hot water heat pump to the Irish market.

Ecological Building Systems is pleased to announce that its Diasen Diathonite Evolution lime cork thermal insulating render system won in the ’best interior design’ category at the RIAI Architecture Expo.

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.

Linham Construction has just announced the introduction of Geocell foam glass gravel and aggregate in Ireland.

Ecohouse Developments, a new low energy design and build service, has launched in Ireland. The company employs a team of architects, engineers and builders, and can deliver turnkey passive houses to its clients, or simply build the principle passive structure if the client prefers.

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

Leading low energy builders Pat Doran Construction Ltd have advised anyone aiming to build a passive house using traditional cavity wall construction that correct detailing and installation is crucial.

Flynn Heat Recovery Systems has just completed the installation of 93 Zehnder passive-certified MVHR units in a housing scheme under development by SDR Group at Aikens village, Stepaside, Co Dublin.

Passive house is now 25 years old, and to celebrate this, the International Passive House Conference is returning to Darmstadt – the German city in which this success story began.

Michael Bennett & Sons’ just-launched development, Madeira Oaks in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, features what may be the lowest-cost passive housing in Ireland.

Icynene Classic, the open-celled soft, flexible, breathable foam insulation, familiar to thousands of residential installers around the country, has just secured BBA certification for applications directly to the underside of breathable and non-breathable roof membranes and felt – without the need for either a vent card or a double batten system. 

KNX Association has marked the 25th anniversary of KNX, the worldwide standard for home and building control, with the largest ever one-day global event for the building automation sector.

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

Intelligent energy management systems can help homeowners to save significant amounts of energy without even touching their building fabric — and without sacrificing on comfort. That’s according to Niall Walsh of Dublin-based home automation experts KNX Tech.

The thermal performance of the Kingspan Optim-R panel has now been independently verified as it became the first vacuum insulation panel to be granted a BDA Agrément certificate.

International Passive House Association to make presentations at Paris climate talks 

A Cork-based manufacturer of passive window sills has recently completed the fabrication of all decorative mouldings for a new 70 bed extension at the prestigious K Club resort in Straffan, Co Kildare.

The second phase of a new energy-efficient residential development — boasting A3 rated dwellings — has recently launched in Rathnew, Co Wicklow. Kirvin Hill, built by Broomhall Developments, is a new estate of three-bedroom houses, including both semi-detached units and bungalows.

Smet Building Products, the agents for leading German manufacturer Casea, has introduced the latest in internal moisture regulating plasters: Casea Casucalc Klima and Casea Klimafeinputz KFP breathable fine finishing plaster.

Stevens Institute of Technology won top honours overall at the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 by designing, building, and operating the most  cost-effective, energy efficient, and attractive solar powered house at the competition. Dubbed ‘Sure House’, the building also meets passive house standards for heating demand and airtightness and features heat recovery ventilation.

Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council has voted emphatically to make the passive house standard mandatory for new buildings. At a meeting on Tuesday night, councillors voted by 26 votes to 13 in support of putting the clause in the local authority’s development plan for 2016 to 2022.

Leading businesses in the building materials sector — including semi-state timber company Coillte and insulation manufacturer Kingspan — have declared their support for plans by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to make the passive house standard mandatory for new buildings.

Tipperary Energy Agency has announced the launch of its Superhomes pilot project, which is seeking 20 suitable homes anywhere in Ireland to undertake an energy retrofit. The works will be financed by the Better Energy Scheme and run in conjunction with AIB and Electric Ireland.

There is a great urgency, as Europe moves closer to the 2020 energy efficiency targets, to develop a skilled workforce that can work together to deliver low-energy projects. One EU initiative, Build Up Skills, has been designed to “stimulate the training of craftspeople and other on-site workers in the building sector on the topics of energy efficiency and renewable energy.”

This article, originally published in 2012, details the Irish building industry's history of opposition to higher standards.

The government has announced that it plans to invest over €1.5 billion in local authority housing up until the end of 2017.