FMB NI Member Builds First Certified House In The Province

FMB member Moffitt and Robinson Construction Ltd have builtNorthern Ireland’s first certified passive house, Cherry Tree House for client Mrs Crosbie.

Moffitt and Robinson ConstructionLtd has always had an interest inbuilding a low carbon dwelling,and during 30 years’ experience in the building trade, the companyhas looked at numerous ways ofdeveloping a house that would beeasy to run and maintain. During the last few years, therehas been a concerted drive todevelop lower carbon homes,with building regulations graduallyraising their standards to make itlegally binding for us to improvestandards. Moffitt and Robinson ConstructionLtd felt it would be much easier toproduce a high quality home andprove that it makes financialsense to spend a little extra in theearly stages and save much,much more throughout the life ofthe building, and therefore leadthe clients to upgrading thestandards rather than drivingthem. The company were approachedby a client to build a retirementbungalow. Not only was this anopportunity but also the challengethe FMB member had beenwaiting for. With fresh ideas andexperience and the need tofurther their knowledge in thisarea, the company attended aone week course on renewabletechnology, run by the SouthWest College, along with anumber of one-day events onGreen Development. Thechallenge was then to design ahouse that would be very efficientto run. The client’s requirements on thebrief were for the dwelling to be aretirement bungalow with anattached garage and level accessthroughout. The client also askedthat the running costs of thehouse be low, that the property beeasy to maintain, simple tooperate and plain but effective.These instructions were given tothe architect who produced a setof preliminary drawings to theclient’s satisfaction, taking inroom sizes and basic layout.Moffitt and Robinson ConstructionLtd then sat down with the architect and discussed how theycould alter the building to achievea lower carbon footprint. At thisstage they had no intention ofgoing as far as building a carbonzero home – although this is whatevolved. The firm examined areas whereheat could be lost in the dwelling,areas where heat could be saved,water harvesting and grey waterheat recovery. To meet the buildingregulations, the building had toachieve an air permeability of lessthan 10m3/(hm2) at a pressure of50P calculated against theexternal surface area of thebuilding envelope. The memberachieved 0.45 m3/(hm2). All staffwere warned of the importancethe air tightness and required toreport any necessary or accidentalpenetrations so they could ensurethey were sealed again.

Moffitt and Robinson ConstructionLtd have received confirmationthat this dwelling has achievedPassive House Certification. Thisis the first in Northern Ireland toachieve certification and one ofonly two, at this time, to achievethe five year Rate Relief forattaining Zero Carbon Status. Theclient is enjoying the experienceof living in her new home. Movingfrom an old stone built dwellingwhich required a substantialamount of heat, it took time torealise just how little heat itrequires. Moffitt and Robinson ConstructionLtd believe that the PassiveHouse is the way of the future, asthe concept has already beenproven. This project gave theFMB member the opportunity todisplay the standard ofworkmanship which they areaccustomed to providing and theyfeel that with the knowledgegained the next passive projectshould prove easier. There is nodoubt that the Passive Houserequires a slightly higher outlayinitially, approximately 10-15%compared to a traditional build,but with substantially reducedrunning costs this will berecovered in the first few years.Moffitt and Robinson ConstructionLtd believe that with the passivehouse standard you are creatinga healthy environment to live in,as well as massively reducinggreenhouse gases. Building regulations will beleading us closer to this standardof house by 2016, but it must beremembered that in meeting themyou are only achieving theminimum standard accepted.Escalating energy prices and thelife expectancy of a new dwellingshould be the incentive to build tothe highest possible standardstoday. Moffitt and RobinsonConstruction Ltd believe the nextchallenge facing the buildingindustry is to successfully retrofitexisting housing stock to raise theinsulation standard and lower thecarbon footprint because most ofthe houses here today will still behere in 100 years’ time.

For more information, call Moffitt and Robinson Construction Ltd on 028 8224 3656 or email info@moffittandrobinson.co.uk