Sustainable Energy
The Dún Lugh Project seeks to be a ‘zero-carbon emissions’ development by being sustainably energised from ‘green’ technologies
and sources generated on site. Out of deep personal commitments to our global and local environments, sustainable energy is a central element of the proposal. All buildings will be of passive house technologies built to the highest international standards while a central energy system will provide electricity and hot-water from a combined power source of a Bio-Mass Digester (golf course grass cuttings and silage available on-site) and a Wood Chip Burner (ten-hectares of renewable willow-fuel source coming from on-site).

What is a passive house?
In this age of increased energy prices and emission eccesses, efficient energy use is becoming more and more important. This is no longer solely an environmental consideration, but increasingly also a financial one. Some 40% of our annual energy consumption is used in buildings. The passive house concept primarily focuses on residential buildings, though these principles are applicable in other building types as well. As the numbers show, energy-wise, there is much to be gained in buildings. For this reason, more and more building professionals have recognised the passive house approach as the sensible way forward.

The passive house is a residence that has been optimally designed to retain energy. Much attention is paid to performance of the materials and components with respect to indoor climate. The advantage being that temperatures inside the residence have very few fluctuations, resulting in notably higher indoor comfort.

The passive house concept applies established techniques and solid design principles to realise a residence that utilises it's energy optimally.
By reducing heat losses to a minimum through optimal insulation and heat recovery techniques and maximising passive heat gains, the passive house is so efficient that it no longer requires a conventional heating system. This means that the cost savings for the heating system can, in part, compensate for the higher cost of high performance building components. Moreover, by using less energy over its lifetime, a passive house not only generates a smaller environmental impact, it also incurs lower energy costs during use. In addition, a passive house decreases the financial impact on occupants that rising energy prices may bring.

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For the promotion of sustainable energy in Ireland, visit Sustainable Energy Ireland

For leading innovation in sustainable building and passive build technologies,
visit Austrian Federal Ministery for Transport, Innovation and Technology

For information on biomass digestion, woodchip and reedbed technologies, visit www.wasteworks.ie