Galway-based company, Passive House Builders, has been nominated for the prestigious ‘Green Residential Award’ at the National Green Awards 2012 being held tonight in Dublin.
Now entering its fourth year, the Green Awards aim to celebrate excellence in sustainability and to encourage green best practice amongst Ireland's organisations and individuals.
Passive House Builders design and build both Passive and Energy efficient homes. They are the country’s most experienced Passive House Builders and were the first company in Ireland to have been awarded the title "Certified European Passive House Designer", awarded by the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany.
Speaking about the nomination, Cyril Mannion, CEO, said, “This is our second consecutive year to be nominated for the Green Awards and we are hoping this year will see us taking home gold. Each year the competition gets stiffer, so to be nominated and shortlisted down to the final five is a fantastic achievement and a testament to all our staff here.”
“We are fully committed to the building of Passive Homes and believe they are the way forward when it comes to being energy efficient, but more importantly, saving money. Not many people realise that over a period of a year you can save up to €1,900 on heating bills alone, based on a 300 sq metre house.”
“There’s also a preconception that Passive Homes are far more expensive to build that your average home, but that if fact is not true. There may be a small bit more investment required but on the grand scheme of things, it’s very little when compared with the annual savings that can be made,” added Cyril.
A Passive House can be described as a building where a comfortable interior climate can be maintained without active heating and cooling systems. This is achieved through insulating the building envelope and retaining all internal gains from the occupants, their activities, use of appliances and most importantly the sun.
Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source like a small solid fuel or wood pellet stove. Heat recovery ventilation provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90 per cent of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.
The key components of a passive house include; southern orientation, triple glazed windows, air tightness, heat recovery ventilation, cold bridge elimination and energy saving appliances.
The Awards take place in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin tonight.
