Mid-Ulster based Setanta Construction, is looking towards revolutionising the housing market through the development of low energy, volumetric, Passive certified homes.
The company recently unveiled the construction of its 'SoLow' pilot housing project at its site in Magherafelt to a group of international delegates attending the 'Building a Sustainable Future' conference in Northern Ireland and detailed their ambitious plans for growth within the energy efficient housing market.
Mark Gribbin, Director at Setanta Construction says: "Our newly launched 'SoLow' volumetric house aims to put energy performance at the heart of the housing market, delivering significant cost, time, health and environmental benefits for all. We've worked alongside industry experts in the design process including The Electric Storage Company to ensure outstanding functional performance throughout. Key components include 4kW of photo voltaic panels installed with an 11kw electric storage battery with heating and hot water provided by an integrated heat pump and ventilation system.
"We want to maintain our lead position in the energy efficient housing market, and we're committed to continuously refining and perfecting the production, processes and rollout of our bespoke offsite building concepts. The advantage of working with Setanta means that our housing components are built here at our factory before they are delivered and assembled to sites.
"Currently it takes just two weeks to construct our 'SoLow' passive house in the factory and it can be assembled onsite in just a few hours. In time we intend to scale up with plans for a new 30,000sq ft factory underway, which will enable us to increase productivity to one fully-completed house every day."
Research into the overall benefits and potential cost savings of Passive built homes are far-reaching and its widely accepted that they have the potential to use 80 - 90% less energy than a typical home, not only helping the environment but helping homeowners save money too.
Setanta have enlisted the support of Ulster University's Centre for Sustainable Technologies team to conduct a detailed study into the actual performance and overall energy efficient benefits of Passive Home living, specifically Setanta's 'SoLow' pilot housing project.
Niall Gribbin, Director at Setanta: "We're fully convinced of the advantages of building offsite Passive Homes with low embedded carbon, but to fulfil our assurances to potential homeowners and industry professionals we've committed to undertake a detailed study to examine the full benefits in comparison to conventional builds and further explore what works well for the ultimate occupants and the environment we live in."
Trevor Hyde of Ulster University's Centre for Sustainable Technologies adds: "It's widely accepted that the Passive House concept is a smart long-term investment, which leads to lower energy consumption, reduced maintenance, and expense with improved occupant comfort. We're excited to team up with Setanta Construction to investigate this concept further and undertake a detailed study, analysing factors such as air quality, temperature fluctuations and energy usage on a yearly basis. We look forward to the findings of the study and the potential impact this work can have as we transition towards net zero."
Source: www.setantaconstruction.com
Image: (L-R) Mark Gribbin and Niall Gribbin
