The Passivhaus standard offers a well-established alternative to the Code for Sustainable Homes and the Building Regulations for sustainable design and construction. Denise Freeman investigates the emergence of Passivhaus in the UK and the benefits of external wall insulation and modern render systems.

To help stimulate the uptake of renewable technologies in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) will provide support for wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) following the closure of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Stream 1 grant for renewable electricity technologies in early February 2010

Will the updates to Part G of the Building Regulations result in water efficiency and safer hot water systems in new dwellings as promised by the previous government? In this article Cath Hassell covers the updates that are most relevant to sustainable building.

One of the major problems with the original structure was the under performance of the building envelope. Although built to a higher specification than a normal house, it was found to be 40% less efficient than calculated in design.

According to the Energy Saving Trust's Chief Executive Philip Sellwood, almost a third of new homes are still failing to meet energy efficiency guidelines.

If you are a householder in Northern Ireland interested in generating your own heat or electricity, you can apply for a renewable technology grant of up to £2,500 per property.

What happens if you get a poor rating? There is no legal penalty for getting a bad label for an existing house. From the perspective of a seller or landlord, the effect of such a label can be expected to be a degree of market disadvan­tage in a competitive property market.

What is the role of architecture in shaping society? Clearly it has a fundamental part to play, but the nature of its influence is sufficiently complex and subtle as to remain unclear.

A Passive house is a building in which indoor air temperatures of a minimum of 18°C are maintained year round without the need for heating appliances.

The term Passive house comes from Swedish and German research into creating low energy houses, in terms of running costs. The concept was taken further in Germany with actual working models constructed that became known as Passivhaus or Passive House

Recent spikes in energy prices and concerns over the imminent threat of global warming are making opting for zero carbon housing an increasingly more attractive alternative.

NEW energy performance certificates will be compulsory as part of buying a house and architect, Paul McAlister gives his advice and answers your questions.