Building the zero-energy home
A Dublin architect who owns the first zero-energy house to have been built in Ireland will be among the speakers at the fifth Irish Sustainable Building Show that takes place at the RDS in Dublin from Thursday. The three-day show’s eco-friendly emphasis is timely, given the emerging demand for technologies that will ultimately mean lower energy costs for homes and commercial buildings. Patrick Daly is the founder and owner of BESRaC, an environmental and sustainable building research and consultancy firm.
He said he designed his “˜”˜family home initially as an environmentally-friendly eco house, but as the build progressed, I felt confident that we could achieve a target of zero-energy”. “˜”˜We moved in 11 months ago and have just received confirmation from ESB Networks that we produced more energy than we used in the first year, so the project is a success,” he said.
“˜”˜It’s also been short-listed in the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland annual energy awards for 2011, which will be announced next month.”
The A1-rated passive property extends to 260 square metres, and achieves its negative energy use through a range of features, including solar roof panels; extensive south-facing triple-glazed doors and windows with insulated frames; high insulation in the walls, floors and roof; and photovoltaic (PV) panels. The dwelling is also airtight, which gives it a low space heating load.
