'Affordable' housing to revive market

Desperate builders develop social conscience? 

Housebuilder McInerney Holdings has warned it is facing difficult conditions in both its Irish and UK markets and that, as a result, it is delaying new site starts and focusing on its affordable

British house prices fall

Ireland not alone in collapsing property market

The Times reports that house prices in Britain are likely to fall by seven per cent in the next year alongside a 40 per cent fall in sales.

Interestingly, Britain is currently suffering from an acute housing shortage with

Off grid in the middle of nowhere

With all of the talk  about zero-carbon housing, the Guardian reports on one project that has resulted in an off-grid house.
 
Impressive as the results may be considered by some, it's probably rather too extreme for most people:
 
 Life on the most northerly inhabited island in Britain can be very tough indeed. On Unst the winters are harsh, and the winds brutal and relentless, regularly sweeping across the treeless landscape at more than 100mph. But Unst is the island chosen by a retired couple from Wiltshire to build one of the world's greenest houses - a "zero carbon" home powered entirely by the wind and the sun. It sits on the same latitude as southern Greenland, but will soon boast lemon trees, grapevines and green pepper plants in its greenhouse, an electric car powered by the wind, and floors heated by drawing warmth from the air.

Oil prices peak again

Now over US$127 per barrel 

As if we weren't bored hearing about oil prices, BBC News Online is reporting that the commodity is now over US$127 a barrel, an all-time high.

Oil prices have hit a record high above $127 a barrel on speculation that China will

Half of Irish building firms not working

Half of Ireland's construction companies have stopped building houses while they attempt to offload existing properties.

A report published today by Merrion Capital said that the current housing oversupply will take more than twelve months to clear up.

"The overall conclusion

Ireland could become renewable leader

Opportunity for massive growth in green energy sector 
 
Build.ie reports that, "2,000 megawatts of electricity could be generated by the development of offshore wind farms in Ireland, with a saving of €236m every year in carbon offset costs."

Kingspan sees profits fall

Housing slump hurts construction kingpin

The Cavan-based Kingspan Group will see lowered earnings as a result of the construction slowdown.

The group, which includes Kingspan Century, Ireland's largest timber-frame building manufacturer issued a statement saying trading over the first four months of the

Ireland on the road to recovery

But not in the fast lane

Construction down but finances up in Ireland of the future.

 The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has announced that the Irish economy could grow by 3.75 per cent annually over the next decade.

 

A report from the government-founded think tank says that, despite significant short-term problems, the economy