Montgomery Primary School in Devon is the UK's first zero carbon, climate – change ready school. Andy Pearson takes a look at the fabric first, 'tea cosy' principles behind the design of this award-winning building.

The government's cynical recent energy policy announcements represent a dereliction of duty to the vulnerable and to future generations. There is an alternative, argues award-winning passive house architect Justin Bere - and it's beautiful.

The Larixhaus is the first pre-fabricated straw bale passive house on the Iberian Peninsula. A project that took 7 months from start to finish, this single family home is located in the town of Collsuspina, Catalonia, Spain

The new CREST centre will comprise of three areas; the Hub, the Research & Development Lab and the Pavilion. The Pavilion will be newly developed while the Hub and Research & Development lab will be integrated into the existing Skills Centre building; with the work on the Hub area recently completed.

Zero carbon is great as a political aspiration but will it stack up effectively as a policy? Richard Hillyard examines Government aims to impose zero carbon targets on the construction industry. Back in July 2007 the Government published the Building a Greener Future statement. This policy document announced that all new build homes would be zero carbon from 2016.

The first thing to remember is that energy is never lost - it will simply change how it appears - heat is one form of energy but so are fuel, light or electricity. For instance, when you turn on a light bulb the energy brought to it by electricity is converted to light and heat.

As part of that strategy a Fabric Energy Efficiency Standard was developed that set the performance levels for the building fabric that would reduce the amount of energy required to heat a home and reach the Zero Carbon standard.

In part two of his two part article on quality assured Passivhaus buildings, Mark Siddall [www.leap4.it], who specialises in sustainable building design, explains the certification process in a little more detail.

In part 1 of a 2 part article, Mark Siddall of Low Energy Architectural Practice: LEAP [www.leap4.it ] observes that there appears to be mounting confusion about the Passivhaus standard and Passivhaus Certification

The political landscape in Northern Ireland is gradually changing. With the emphasis now on a ‘shared future’ it would be great to see a comprehensive vision for Northern Ireland and its low carbon construction agenda.

The project is distinguished as it will achieve all of the following three sustainable credentials:

Passivhaus Certified for Energy efficient envelope and ventilation system

BREEAM excellent in terms of the BRE sustainable benchmark for UK commercials buildings

If we claim that our buildings are green, ecologi­cal, sustainable, carbon neutral, or energy efficient, we need to ensure that we know how well they perform once they are in use, and how closely this relates to our design intentions.

Timber window manufacturers have focused hard on their products and have been rethinking, redesigning and reconsidering. Consumers might be forgiven for thinking twice before choosing timber windows.

Poorly insulated window frames and single glazed windows account for up to 20% of heat loss in the average home. If you upgrade to energy efficient windows, you can help reduce your energy consumption and save money!

Rainwater or greywater can be used in buildings for certain purposes;

Compost toilets are referred to for the first time;

Solar thermal systems require automatic protection against legionella; and hot taps must be positioned on the left of any appliance.

Built for private clients in Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, the project is all 8m2, 3 bedroom detached house, built to a tight budget of £141 k. It received its Passivhaus certification at the end of April, one of the first 3 projects to go through the Passivhaus certification process with Pete Warm of WARM: Low Energy Building Practice.

The Lancaster Cohousing project is a certified Passivhaus/Code for Sustainable Homes, level 6 and Life Time Homes, affordable community housing project. It has evolved through a participatory design process with the individual householders and Eco Arc Architects. In this article Andrew Yeats and Graham Bath provide an overview on the wall construction, and first floor construction, with particular regard to the integration of Passivhaus detailing.

Achieving 100-percent reduction in carbon emissions, even if from regulated emissions only, involves the significant use of on-site renewable energy sources. The practicalities of having enough roof space, not to mention the cost burden, has led to a further strategy being introduced

The name is banded around and is ultimately misunderstood by the general public. It has also become a generic term encompassing all things ecological and sustainable in terms of building and living in an environmentally friendly home.

Buying a newly built home is a big step into the unknown. As a sales negotiator, you play an important role in helping clients to understand the many benefits of choosing a newly built property. Price and location are not the only selling points these days energy efficiency is important too.

Ventilation, in all its forms, is about a lot more than fresh air. As homes become ever more airtight there is the irony that increasing thought has to be given to how they are ventilated, since a constant supply of fresh air is vital for the health of both the occupants and the building’s fabric.

For a house to be deemed passive, it must draw a minimal amount of active external energy, if any at all (excluding solar), to run its space and water heating and keep it cool, where needed. Passive houses are sometimes termed ‘body heat houses’,

Ireland has woken up to the Passive House. Seven years ago Tomas O’Leary built Ireland’s first certified passive house in Wicklow – a home that showed Germanic influences in looks as well as energy performance.

The 2011 update of BREEAM will produce a streamlined methodology for assessing new non-domestic buildings, presented in a single document and more closely aligned with emerging European Standards.

You've been told many times about the need to insulate your home to a high standard. This is indeed by far the most cost-effective way to lower your fuel bills, not to mention comply with the energy requirements of the building regulations.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to build a home that doesn't need central heating - what's required is the right specification and the correct installation.

A 1940's semi has become the first building in the UK to both reach the Passivhaus retrofit standard and be certified by a UK based certifier. Low carbon engineering consultants Encraft were appointed by housing association Orbit House of England to retrofit one of its 14,000 homes as part of a pilot scheme.

Formed 50 to 60 million years ago, the Giant's Causeway is a promontory of basalt columns along four miles of the northern coast of the Antrim plateau between Causeway Head and Benbane Head, jutting out of the cliff faces as if they were steps creeping into the sea.

Dominic Lawson Published Sunday Times: 1 April 2012 The gap between comfort and chaos in modern civilisation is alarmingly narrow and defined by a four-letter word: fuel.

All was not well when work began on this impressive Co Cork home and its architect had to pull out the stops to make the eco-home fit the brief.

Goldsmith Street in Norwich, a group of 105 eco-friendly homes commissioned by the local authority, saw off competition from five other shortlisted schemes to claim the 2019 Stirling Prize, awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects (Riba).

I read that the construction industry had experimented with adding insulation to new buildings and that energy consumption had failed to reduce. This offended me – it was counter to the basic laws of physics… So I made it my mission to find out what [they were doing wrong] and to establish what was needed to do it right.

The energy supply market is rapidly shifting from fossil fuel to renewable sources. This transition is necessary, not only to comply with European targets and international and regional protocols on climate change (20% share from renewables on total energy supply by 2020), but it’s also the most responsible way to promote energy security.

Crest Centre Northern Ireland by Paul McAlister Architects - Commercial and residential buildings in Europe are overall responsible for 40% of total energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions.

Passivhaus overheating shouldn’t happen: it’s one of the criteria of the international Passivhaus standard. Even so, people sometimes ignore this requirement during the early stages of the design process.

As part of any passive solar home design, the choice and design of windows and overhangs is important. You want your house to admit as much heat and light as possible in the cold season, but not overheat during summer. And you also want them to help protect your home from the cold in the winter.

Ground-breaking housing scheme captures one developer's journey to passive ... The just-finished second phase of Durkan Residential's ambitious Silken Park scheme in south-west Dublin bridges the gap between two extremes: while phase one was built to the 2002 building regulations, phase three - which will break ground next year - will comprise 59 passive certified units.

Thermal mass 'Thermal mass' describes a material's capacity to absorb, store and release heat. For example water and concrete have a high capacity to store heat and are referred to as 'high thermal mass' materials. Insulation foam, by contrast, has very little heat storage capacity and is referred to as having 'low thermal mass'.

The Government's legally binding objective of achieving an 80% reduction in national CO2 emissions and the drive for zero carbon homes and buildings is focusing attention upon building design and procurement.

Pittsburgh’s world-class centre for environmental education has been designed to achieve Living Building Challenge standards and will open its doors in September.

Anyone familiar with spending a hot summer's day in a caravan and then another in a stone house with closed shutters will appreciate the meaning of ‘Decrement delay’. The inside of the caravan closely maps the rise and fall in external temperature to provide the familiar stifling effect on the occupants .

Nearly a quarter of Britain’s electricity was generated from wind turbines, ­solar panels and other renewables last year. Output from renewables rose from 19.1 per cent in 2014 to a record 24.7 per cent in 2015, according to the Department of Energy & Climate Change.

From 2020 onwards all newly built or renovated houses in NI and ROI will have to comply with the Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) standard. How that requirement will be put into practice remains unclear but there are some general rules we already know will have to be followed ..

If you live in the South (southern USA) and already own solar panels, it could take you just under three years to make up the cost of the $3,000 Tesla Powerwall battery.

Total primary energy consumed from direct and indirect processes associated with a product or service within the boundaries of cradle to gate. This includes all activities from material extraction (quarrying / mining / harvesting), manufacturing, transportation and fabrication until the product is ready to leave the final factory gate.

It’s a glorious day: Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county council has passed a motion to make the passive house — and its equivalent — mandatory for all new buildings.

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council could be on course for a clash with Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly after councillors voted in favour of an energy-efficient building standard over which his department has serious concerns.

A new report from the UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) and University College London (UCL) has warned lenders are using inaccurate models to estimate energy costs. This is leading to many energy efficient properties being undervalued by as much as £45,000 over the life cycle of a mortgage.

Solar energy is a seriously underrated resource. More power from the sun hits the Earth in a single hour than humanity uses in an entire year, yet solar only provided 0.39% of the energy used in the US last year.

Passive House is a building standard that is truly energy efficient, comfortable and affordable at the same time. Passive House is not a brand name, but a tried and true construction concept that can be applied by anyone, anywhere.

“As debate ramps up in Ireland about whether local authorities in Dublin should adopt the passive house standard, and the UK government scraps its plans for zero carbon homes, Dr Shane Colclough urges passive house advocates to prepare for the lobbying battles ahead by remembering the basic science behind the standard.”

Now nearing completion, the University of East Anglia's (UEA) most recent development, The Enterprise Centre, is on course to become an exemplar low-embodied carbon buildinq, pushing the boundaries for sustainable architecture.

Steel Farm is the first certified passive building in Northumberland, and the first cavity wall passive house in the north east of England. It is located near Hexham in the North Pennine area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB)

In 2008 the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) identified funding for pilot/exemplar projects under the Zero Carbon Task Force (ZCTF).

In 2008 the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) identified funding for pilot/exemplar projects under the Zero Carbon Task Force (ZCTF).

The recent Self-Build on a Shoestring competition demonstrated how one can build a two bedroom house with exceptionally low energy consumption for less than £45,000.

The cheapest and cleanest energy choice of all is not to waste it. Progress on this has been striking yet the potential is still vast.

The task group set up by Government to deliver zero carbon homes by 2016, Zero Carbon Hub, has released formal recommendations on carbon compliance. This has some substantial implications for house building performance standards and environmental considerations.

The importance of good ventilation in classrooms has been recognised since Victorian times, but many of today's schools fail to reach even basic levels of indoor air quality. Ewen Rose reports on a growing health crisis.

BREEAM is the Building Research Establishment’s (BRE) Environmental Assessment Method first launched in the UK in 1990. It sets best practice standards for the environmental performance of buildings through design, specification, construction and operation.

Fuel poverty in the UK is defined as a household having to spend more than 10% of their income on maintaining an adequate level of energy and heating within the home.

The new regulations require a 40% betterment in energy efficiency for new houses, 25% for new flats and 15% for new buildings other than dwellings. Earlier this year, the Minister for Agriculture,

With the planet warming and the consequences of climate change evident across the globe, governments are at last taking more definite action to reduce fossil fuel emissions in an effort to restrict global warming to a minimum of 1.5 degrees.

It is true that some insula­tion applications are accessible enough for us to replace them occasionally throughout the lifetime of the building if we so wish but, likewise, some application decisions are 'whole building life' choices.

Different forms of energy have different costs per unit (1 kWh) of energy. Table 1 shows the typical cost to a domestic consumer of different forms of energy and also the cost relative to gas.

Each type of building will have a different pattern of energy consumption throughout each day and throughout the year. Predicting the energy used by a building is complicated because of the wide range of factors that affect its energy consumption.

Our built environment accounts for over half of our carbon dioxide emissions. We now have the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH) to help designers and builders of new homes in the UK. But will it help or hinder?

The movement of building standards towards passive house and rising fuel prices are the main initiatives driving the construction industry in the direction of certified passive house standard within Northern Ireland.

Cooking steaks on the barbecue, mowing the lawn or taking a walk in the countryside – all normal summer pursuits for many people. But, for hay fever sufferers, the thought of uncut grass sends them rushing indoors.

“Heat Loss Parameter” is a phrase I wasn’t familiar with but it’s embedded in the SAP calculations. It’s defined as the specific heat loss for the whole house divided by the internal floor area. The figure 0.8 is very exacting, equivalent to constructing to PassivHaus standards, which is where the 15kwh/m2 figure comes from.

The Green New Deal for Northern Ireland is a joined up approach to the ‘triple crunch’ of recession, rising energy prices and climate change. The proposal is a simple one: investing in an ambitious programme to cut consumption of fossil fuels can create thousands of new jobs

Did you ever have a really good idea about how to save money? Paul McAlister (Passive House Architect), Richard Bell (Solmatix Renewables) and Eamonn Connolly (SIPFIT ltd) are three local house experts who have had their lightbulb moment and have discovered the secret of building a house which reduces heating costs by 80%.

Following on from the introduction The Low Carbon Homes Scheme in 1 April 2010. Land and Property Services have amended the criteria for the scheme. All the necessary information is below. What is the Low Carbon Homes Scheme?

With rising fuel costs and Arctic weather conditions this winter, the challenge of burning less fuel and keeping our homes warm has been uppermost in the minds of all homeowners. Thicker loft insulation and double-glazing are a must for existing houses but if you are building a new home, there are other steps which you can take to make dramatic savings on energy costs.

Norfolk-based Parsons & Whittley architects employed Passivhaus principles in the design of what is set to be the UK's first rural affordable housing scheme to gain Passivhaus certification

Many people appear confused about how PassivHaus and the code for sustainable homes can run in parallel, 'Does one compliment the other?

The Passivhaus approach is neither a building style nor simply a new build­ing technology. It is simply a perfor­mance standard, the implementation of which requires a set of experiences, tools, and high quality components available to all building professionals. 

A carbon tax has been in introduced in ROI on everything from domestic heating oil to the diesel that powers our cars and machinery. So what can you do to reduce the emissions arising from building your own home?

In 2009 Bere Architects won a competition to design low cost houses for Wales which would showcase the Passivhaus concept and feature innovative measures for energy efficiency and eco excellence.

'Tigh-Na­Cladach' (house by the shore), is the UK's first social housing Passivhaus development in Scotland. This affordable low-energy housing scheme effectively demonstrates how the Passivhaus standard can help meet the increasingly high levels of energy performance demanded of public housing.

The Passivhaus standard offers a well-established alternative to the Code for Sustainable Homes and the Building Regulations for sustainable design and construction. Denise Freeman investigates the emergence of Passivhaus in the UK and the benefits of external wall insulation and modern render systems.

To help stimulate the uptake of renewable technologies in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) will provide support for wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) following the closure of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Stream 1 grant for renewable electricity technologies in early February 2010

Will the updates to Part G of the Building Regulations result in water efficiency and safer hot water systems in new dwellings as promised by the previous government? In this article Cath Hassell covers the updates that are most relevant to sustainable building.

One of the major problems with the original structure was the under performance of the building envelope. Although built to a higher specification than a normal house, it was found to be 40% less efficient than calculated in design.

According to the Energy Saving Trust's Chief Executive Philip Sellwood, almost a third of new homes are still failing to meet energy efficiency guidelines.

If you are a householder in Northern Ireland interested in generating your own heat or electricity, you can apply for a renewable technology grant of up to £2,500 per property.

What happens if you get a poor rating? There is no legal penalty for getting a bad label for an existing house. From the perspective of a seller or landlord, the effect of such a label can be expected to be a degree of market disadvan­tage in a competitive property market.

What is the role of architecture in shaping society? Clearly it has a fundamental part to play, but the nature of its influence is sufficiently complex and subtle as to remain unclear.

A Passive house is a building in which indoor air temperatures of a minimum of 18°C are maintained year round without the need for heating appliances.

The term Passive house comes from Swedish and German research into creating low energy houses, in terms of running costs. The concept was taken further in Germany with actual working models constructed that became known as Passivhaus or Passive House

Recent spikes in energy prices and concerns over the imminent threat of global warming are making opting for zero carbon housing an increasingly more attractive alternative.

NEW energy performance certificates will be compulsory as part of buying a house and architect, Paul McAlister gives his advice and answers your questions.