Smet Building Products, the agents for leading German manufacturer Casea, has introduced the latest in internal moisture regulating plasters: Casea Casucalc Klima and Casea Klimafeinputz KFP breathable fine finishing plaster.

The second phase of a new energy-efficient residential development — boasting A3 rated dwellings — has recently launched in Rathnew, Co Wicklow. Kirvin Hill, built by Broomhall Developments, is a new estate of three-bedroom houses, including both semi-detached units and bungalows.

Southern Housing Group, one of the largest housing associations in the south east of England, has delivered its first ever scheme built to the passive house standard. Built on a 1.5 acre site, Cameron Close is a £4.2 million development of 16 semi-detached family houses and 12 sheltered apartments in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight.

Stevens Institute of Technology won top honours overall at the US Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2015 by designing, building, and operating the most  cost-effective, energy efficient, and attractive solar powered house at the competition. Dubbed ‘Sure House’, the building also meets passive house standards for heating demand and airtightness and features heat recovery ventilation.

There are significant savings to be made with a well designed solar thermal installation, using either flat plate or vacuum tube collectors, and Kingspan Solar has taken a major step towards clarifying exactly how much. The company’s new online calculator quickly works out the cost benefits over time based on a few simple pieces of information about the homeowner’s existing heating system.

A Cork-based manufacturer of passive window sills has recently completed the fabrication of all decorative mouldings for a new 70 bed extension at the prestigious K Club resort in Straffan, Co Kildare.

The University of Nottingham has developed a “novel and easy-to-use test for measuring the airtightness of buildings” in order to help eliminate draughts, improve energy efficiency and reduce heating bills.

The digital versions of all previous issues of Passive House Plus are now freely available online.  The magazine is available in entirety in digital form, while many of the feature articles are also now available in HTML form - or in other words as regular web articles. The digital editions use the Issuu pageflipper software, which was chosen for its functionality, simplicity and the ability for readers to interact with magazine content - for instance by sharing links to articles in the magazine via social media or email, or by clicking links to websites contained in articles and adverts.

International Passive House Association to make presentations at Paris climate talks 

One of the world’s most sustainable buildings stands in Bavaria: as the first of its kind, a mixed residential and commercial project in the town of Kaufbeuren has met the criteria for passive house premium certification. With a heating demand of only 8 kWh/m²yr, it is uniquely energy efficient. At the same time, a 250 sqm photovoltaic system on the roof produces renewable energy.