CASE STUDY: 200 HOUSE LOW ENERGY LOW CO 2 DEVELOPMENT AT KILLEAGH, CO. CORK The rapidly growing public interest in sustainable building is finally starting to impact on property developers. Bill Quigley of Nutech Consultants describes an innovative 200 house development currently on site in Co. Cork where forward-thinking developers J & W Leahy Brothers have decided that the market is ready for low energy, low CO2 building. Probably one of the most exciting large scale low energy/low CO2 housing projects in Europe is being constructed at present in Killeagh, Co. Cork. The housing at Killeagh feature the following technologies:
A well insulated fabric with a real U-value which will match the calculated value.
The houses are designed to be very airtight in terms of the unwanted level of air infiltration.
A highly efficient heat recovery ventilation system is fitted which guarantees the level of fresh air ventilation.
An air solar heating system is being used which delivers solar energy to the ventilation and heating system together with the domestic hot water system.
Any required backup energy is being delivered by way of a wood pellet boiler that is sited in the living room and is integrated with the air solar heating and ventilation system.
NuTech Consultants, in conjunction with the Kingspan Century team designed the low energy/low CO2 features for this housing development. The target was to design a house that saved some 95% of the CO2 emissions associated with space and water heat-