1. Passive Construction By Dwayne Cowzer

2. Passive Construction: When a building is so well insulated and made air-tight that it reduces the need for a heating system to a minimum. “Spend €1 on insulation to save a Kilowatt, or spend €10 on solar panels to gain a Kilowatt”. Introduction

3. Spending money during construction vs. Spending money to heat the building over time. Also deals with natural lighting- ‘Passive Solar Design’. Passive Construction

4. Sunlight is environmentally friendly, as well as a lighting & heating source that is free of charge. Techniques have been developed to use solar energy in buildings. Window design can reduce heating demand by about 10% compared to an average house (Energy Efficiency Office, 2005). Passive Solar Design

5. Factors that are taken into account: Positioning of the building Smaller windows on the North side Larger windows on the South side Rooms that require better lighting & heat have south-facing windows (eg living-room, bedrooms etc) Triple-glazing helps keep heat-loss through the windows at a minimum Passive Solar Design

6. ‘Super-insulated’, air-tight houses that require little or no heating systems. Renewable technologies are not necessarily needed to heat the building. Well-insulated air-tight envelope Passive Housing

7. Passive House Renovation in Foxrock (Construct Ireland Magazine, 2009). Homeowner decides to renovate existing detached house He had not intended initially on improving to a passive standard, but ended up with an almost passive house, with renewable technologies etc for water heating. Passive House Project Example

8. The changes and improvements to the house: 100mm cavity in the walls were pumped with ‘warmfill’, with polystyrene insulation. Walls were dry-lined with 100mm of KingspanKooltherm insulation board. 200mm of KingspanKooltherm insulation in the ground floor. 275mm of KingspanKooltherm board in the roof. Windows changed to triple-glazed, krypton filled from Austria. Passive House Project Example

9. Changes and improvements cont’d: Air-tight membrane installed between the insulation and block-work. Flat-plate solar panels on the roof to heat water. Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) system to warm fresh air coming into the building etc. Roof lights installed for extra natural light (triple-glazed). Passive House Project Example

10. The important factors of a passive house are shown on the above diagram. Passive House Diagram

11. Designed using passive construction techniques. Included the usual passive elements: Good insulation Air-tight Triple-glazed roof-lights and windows for natural light. An array of 40 photovoltaic panels on the roof to generate electricity onsite. Timber-Frame: Environmentally friendly. Tesco, Tramore

12. The main problem to tackle was the fact that the doors would need to be opened frequently for customers. This problem was solved by having a porch with external sliding doors, and an ‘warm air-curtain’ inside. The air-curtain acts as a barrier to prevent heat-loss. This case shows the ability to create passive commercial buildings as well as houses. Tesco, Tramore

13. An array of 40 photovoltaic panels located on the roof Photovoltaic Array on Tesco in Tramore

14. Passive Construction Well-positioned building Well-insulated, airtight, minimum need for heating systems. Passive Solar Design Glazing: Maximum use of natural light Good window design and positioning for best results. Heat Recovery Ventilation systems: Important for heating air and keeping the building ventilated. Important Points

15. Thank You Any Questions?