Issue 12, Vol 5 Out Now
The first issue of Passive House Plus is out now and available now from Easons and all good newsagents
nationwide. Click here to subscribe online and have the first issue of Passive House Plus delivered to your doorstep
Featured Article
| EnerPHit |
While the principles of low energy building apply equally for new build and upgrades, the reality is that htting passive levels becomes much trickier when retrofitting. The Passive House Institute have taken this on board and created a retrofit standard that is ambitious but achievable.
|
|
Read More >>
|
Latest Blog Comments
Official magazine of Easca  |
|
EnerPHit |
|
|
Wednesday, 01 February 2012 |
|
Page 10 of 10
Acknowledging the particular challenges presented by retrofitting,
there’s a lot more flexibility built into EnerPHit certification.
Hitting the space heating target of 25 kWh/m2/yr won’t be possible in
all circumstances. But a form of certification is possible through the
use of ‘passive house suitable components’. The thinking behind this is
to encourage retrofitters to use the best possible materials when the
budget simply won’t make the thresholds achievable. St Josephs National
School in Glenealy, retrofitted by MosArt, falls into this category.
Part funded by the Ballynagran Community Group and supplier donations
from Isover, Kingspan Renewables and Munster Joinery, the design team
had a budget just shy of €60,000. The key question therefore was how to
deploy this money effectively.
“When we ran it through the PHPP software,” says Jill Noctor of MosArt,
“doing different elements throughout the school didn’t have much of an
impact on the overall energy performance, whereas if you concentrate on
one block, you could make savings in that area.”
The design team chose two classrooms at the back of the school and
concentrated their efforts there. The building fabric upgrades include
replacing the existing single-glazed windows with triple-glazed passive
standard windows from Munster Joinery. The cavity walls were pumped with
blown bead insulation, while 70mm of insulation was fixed to the
external face of the building. The result was not alone greatly reduced
U-values, but it also gave the façade a fresher and more interesting
appearance. The two classrooms were taken off the school heating system
and are now heated by an air to water heat-pump. The heating load for
this space has fallen by 50%. It’s hoped that as funds become available,
the same approach will inform similar energy upgrades throughout the
school.
Selected project details
Architect: MosArt
Main contractor: James Doran & Son
External insulation system: Saint Gobain Weber
Additional wall insulation: Isover Saint Gobain
Windows & doors: Munster Joinery
Heat pump supplier: Kingspan Renewables
Radiator supplier: Geostar Engineering
Project overview:
Building type
: primary school
Location: Glenealy, County Wicklow.
Completion date: August 2011
Budget: €60,000 (including supplier contributions and fees)
Space heat demand of entire existing building (PHPP): 252 kWh/m2/yr
Space heat demand of retrofit area (back two classrooms & courtyard) as existing (PHPP): 159 kWh/ m2/yr
Space heat demand of retrofit area after retrofit works (PHPP): 81 kWh/ m2/yr
Heat load of entire existing building (PHPP): 127 W/m2
Heat load of retrofit area as existing (PHPP): 92 W/m2
Heat load of retrofit area after retrofit works (PHPP): 55 W/m2
EnerPHit certification: will not be certified
BER: pending
Ground floor: existing concrete floor
Existing walls: 100mm Forticrete blockwork externally, 50mm
ventilated cavity, 50mm Aerobord insulation, 100mm concrete blockwork,
plaster and skim finish to internal.
U-value: 0.60 W/m2K
Upgraded walls: 70mm Kingspan phenolic insulation and render finish
externally, 100mm Forticrete blockwork, 50mm blown bead insulation into
existing cavity, 50mm existing Aeroboard insulation, 100mm concrete
blockwork, plaster and skim finish to internal.
U-value: 0.171 W/m2K
Existing roof: Roof slates to sloped areas and torch on felt to flat
roof areas externally. 150mm mineral wool insulation on the flat
between roof joists and a combination of suspended ceiling tiles or
plasterboard ceiling internally.
U-value: 0.333 W/m2K
Existing windows: single-glazed, timber windows and doors. Overall approximate U-value: 3.50 W/m2K
Upgraded replacement windows: Munster Joinery triple-glazed Future Proof PassiV windows and doors
Overall U-value of 0.80 W/m2K
Existing heating system: oil condenser boiler and radiators throughout entire school
Upgraded heating system to retrofit area only: Kingspan Aeromax
Plus air source heat pump fitted with Thermofon low temperature
radiators to retrofit area, existing system as a backup if required
Ventilation: natural ventilation retained throughout
Trackback(0)
 |
John Hearne |
| About the author: |
| Freelance journalist John Hearne has contributed a diverse range of news and feature material to a range of Irish newspapers and magazines. Currently, he is a regular contributor to The Irish Examiner and The Irish Independent, where he writes on tourism, consumer affairs, business and careers.
|
| Read More >> |
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >>
|
|
Building or upgrading?
If you’re pricing, designing or constructing a building – whether
it's an energy upgrade of a small house, or a sustainable new
build home, office or multi unit scheme – we can help.
Click here to get in contact with the companies you need, and receive a copy of the first issue of Passive House Plus for free!
Twitter feed
|
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comment form