KNX - The Idiots Guide

KNX - The Idiots Guide 

Well, I've been looking into using KNX for Home Automation for a while now but still couldn't get my head around it. I subsequently decided to put some money into it and purchased a basic set of kit but found I wasn't able to get it to work. The key goal, press a button and it turns on a light, I never got working......:(

I had the opportunity this week to travel to London on a few days holidays and linked up with a KNX trainer for a day. I subsequently found a small configuration issue that caused my problems and having brought over a subset of my KNX kit, was able to apply this knowledge and got it to work!

What I hope to do here now is show you how to create a basic KNX setup from scratch and configure a basic lighting setup. A KNX course is probably still the best way to go but if you have the time and inclination this stuff is possible to learn and figure your way around.

To start with you'll need a switch, an Ethernet Interface and a DHCP server to offer the KNX IP Interface an IP. You can use a simple windows service like http://www.dhcpserver.de/ and make sure you let it disable the necessary firewall interfaces and if you've more than one network card, setup the service on the correct one. Once configured you will see it running in the systray down the bottom right and when you power on the KNX IP Interface it will offer an IP to the MAC Address printed on the KNX IP Interface. That's all you can really do with that device. I wouldn't bother fixing a static IP  on it at this stage.

In ETS5, go to the Bus section and select the Discovered Interface and then Click Select to make it the current interface. You can also test it here by clicking the test button.

Now you can create a new Project. The most important thing here and where I went wrong is selecting the right bus interface - SELECT TP HERE EVERYWHERE! 

This step cost me 4 weeks! Thankfully in London I was able to see a working setup and having brought over some of my own kit, get that configured to my satisfaction too. This gave me confidence to go back home and setup my lab correctly. 

In ETS change the view to the Project Root. This gives you all the different views you need in one section. Now you need to ensure all your devices are imported & listed. Due to differences in available devices depending on the Language chosen some devices may not be listed automatically. Also note that you may need to enable certain Apps:

I went for compatibility mode and the Online Catalog which are free but require tinkering with the myknx.org licensing portal to activate. Bit of a pain to be honest. They also offer more advanced apps which look useful but come at a cost. If you're using ETS regularly consider them but for a once off home build project, I'd suggest you can get by without! 

So, I purchased several devices from http://www.eibmarkt.com and found none were listed in the online catalog as this company chooses NOT to publish them there at all?!! Well, I wanted a reality check by buying real kit and got one! There are lots of KNX manufacturers but the KNX Organization appears to want to keep the knowledge very private so it's hard to know in advance what will work easiest without having a mentor or guide. Anyway, it won't stop you but it can be confounding! My own order consisted of the following items. I've been subsequently told that the power supply I used which comes in 3 parts could be replaced with a single unit if I'd known what I was doing! 

Push button 1 make contact (NO) white 242134 - Special sale - 1 pce. Available Product No.: AA0819148 Manufacturer: Elso Manufacturer no.: 242134

EIB KNX IP Interface PoE, with up to 5 tunneling connections Product No.: N000401 Manufacturer: EIBMARKT Manufacturer no.: N000401

EIB KNX 360° Presence Detector KLR incl. bus coupling unit! Product No.: N000530 Manufacturer: EIBMARKT Manufacturer no.: N000530

EIB KNX Voltage supply 29.5 VDC with 1 choke 640mA (SV-2/DR1) Product No.: N000601-DR1 Manufacturer: EIBMARKT Manufacturer no.: SV-2/DR1

EIB/KNX Push Button 8-fold, White matt finish - BE-TA5508.01 Product No.: N760052 Manufacturer: MDT Manufacturer no.: BE-TA5508.01

I/O device for bus system 4 In/ 12 Out US/U12.2 - special offer Product No.: N780113 Manufacturer: ABB Stotz S&J Manufacturer no.: US/U12.2

EIB KNX bus cable ring 100m green EIB-Y(St)Y 2x2x0,8 Product No.: NS0140116 Manufacturer: Verschiedene-Diverse Manufacturer no.: EIB-Y(St)Y 2x2x0,8

DIN rail 247mm steel UZ01B4 Product No.: NS0661480 Manufacturer: HAGER Manufacturer no.: UZ01B4

Push button 1 make contact (NO) grey 5TD4701 Product No.: NS0850394 Manufacturer: Siemens Indus.Sector Manufacturer no.: 5TD4701

Switch actuator for bus system 16-ch 5WG1567-1AB22 Product No.: NS6508387 Manufacturer: Siemens Indus.Sector Manufacturer no.: 5WG1567-1AB22

So if you want to use the above as a benchmark go ahead! The IP Interface is an OEM unit and you'll see several other Manufacturers use & rebrand it too. I purchased a bit of MDF from B&Q and proceeded to wire everything together. I used a local Electrical merchant for the bulbs, fittings, electrical cable etc and put a functioning system together to learn the various options and how they work. See the picture of my kit below. 

So, I want now to import my actuator which controls power to the light socket. I found merely attaching this device to the KNX bus was not sufficient, it also requires it's own 230VAC supply! I can test the bulb in manual mode fine. To import it try the online catalog first in ETS. I found all the Siemens Industrial Products here:

https://www.hqs.sbt.siemens.com/cps_product_data/data/produktdb_en.htm

I searched the contents link and found the actuator. It should come down in a knxprod file which indicates it's received some attention lately, a vd5 or lower extension means a much older catalog file and might not be that useful. Now you can import it into KNX in the Catalogs section:

You can choose to import everything or just what you want. I imported everything which then installed some extra plugin content and got subsequently stuck, so I went back and just installed a single device! 

Here is my search for "567" showing the device up correctly.  

Now we can check the knx push button 8 fold switch is there:

So, now we go back to our Project and link this all up! I've created some building objects as follows:

Then searched for my Switching Actuator:

Now I can add this into a particular area of my building, in this case my Utility Room, I added the push button to my Living Room too as shown below. 

Next I add the switch into the living room

I can customize the devices before going further. This is to enable/disable particular buttons or parts of the device to make it simpler to configure. If you've an 8 button switch, the MDT one disabled all 8 buttons by default in my setup whereas the Siemens actuator enables all 16 connections! Set this up now and you won't have too many options to ignore later. 

I'll start by enabling the top two buttons on the MDT knx switch as follows:

 And change the behaviour of the buttons as follows:

ETS has automatically added the devices to appropriate "lines" so next we'll join them under Group Addresses. We'll need to create a topology here. An example is shown below:

This should be sufficient for our needs to turn a bulb on and off and change the status LED on the push button. Under Topology you can right click the "Button 1 - Switch" and choose "Link with" and select "1/0/1 Light 1". Do the same with Button 2 to Light 2. 

You can now associate the Actuator Channel H in my case with light 1

Now it's time to program the devices. There are two steps here per device. One is to "Download individual address" and the second "Download Application". 

Note: the 20 device limit in ETS Lite means each device uses a license, so my 16 port actuator is ONE license, the KNX push button 8 fold is ONE license etc. This should be ok for a home setup but add a weather sensor, presence sensor and multiple push buttons in each room and you'll quickly run out! 

Make sure all your connections are firm - my KNX bus wire to the actuator was loose and the programming light wouldn't come on. I next found my ABB binary input device already on 1.1.1 so changed the addresses by incrementing them by 1. I was then able to program the actuator fine. 

Next you "Download Application" and if all goes well you hear it reboot and you see this:

If you use the wrong device download you can damage the device. We saw the display on a temperature sensor fail in the lab I attended as an example. 

Next I did the push button switch, The issue I found was there was no obvious programming button. With these it's best to get the manuals as sometimes there are particular button presses required to activate programming mode. 

http://www.mdt.de/download/MDT_TM_RF_Push_Button.pdf

This is a good example of a KNX device manual - there are LOADS of options to play with. It turns out it does have a programming button but it's not easy to spot! 

So, now we should be able to actuate the lightbulb if I've done my configuration correctly. It works! I can use Diagnostics to verify the bus operations:

My physical setup is as follows:

It's not tidy but it works. Each bus connector has 4 connectors for red and black so you can daisy chain away or connect back multiple devices if you wish. Wiggling the cables out again is hard. The KNX cable uses SOLID copper, whereas alarm cable uses thin strands. Don't try to use the wrong cable here - I'll use alarm cable for the ABB binary inputs but KNX bus interface cable will always be taken from the green KNX cabling I purchased with a solid core. I stripped out the colours I needed to make it easier to work with in my lab. 

So, that will give you a quick intro to KNX. I can't get the push button LEDs to function but will resolve at some point. I've a POE switch for power but you can power the IP interface off the KNX bus if you prefer. I hope to have a few IP Cameras so it makes more sense to get the POE in now. Hope this helps you get the light bulb working, believe me, once you get the first one turned on, mark the date, as it's onwards and upwards from there! 

First-Time Buyers Grant - Budget 2016

First-Time Buyers Grant - Budget 2016

I'm a little bit in shock! I think that's the first time any Budget has actually targeted me directly,it's usually the big cheeses! All the talk pre-budget was that the grant would not include self builders which appears now to be full of holes as the cheese! You can now use this newly announced benefit to help secure a self build mortgage (I hope) and pour it into the deposit.

My own deposit has been nibbled away as I pay my Architect / Quantity Surveyor and other professional fees. While one of the banks told me this is included under "allowable" expenses it was still a worry. There's still some clarity required and Revenue will hopefully have a website up to apply for it by January 2017 but it's a welcome move and encourages me to pursue my dream a bit further.

The costs are significant but I hope to have QS figures back shortly and see exactly what I'm likely to be looking at. That plus the choices it will drive will ultimately determine the future of my build.

But at least this is one direct benefit the budget has offered in time for me and may well make the difference in the final estimates.

KNX

KNX

Simple title, complicated technology! First I'm going to thank Seamus who provided invaluable insight into KNX when I was about ready to give up! You can check out his blog & build here:

https://passivehouse-phpp-selfbuild.com

Note also that the NZEB open doors event runs each November and his house is one of those where I met him last year. He's both knowledgeable and very patient with people's questions so I recommend a visit!

http://nzeb-opendoors.ie

Now, onto our Topic. I've been thinking about using KNX as my home automation technology of choice but finding out about it is a bit hard. There are a few sparks who do it but you're going to pay a premium so I thought I'd give it a go myself.

Firstly register with MyKNX and complete the online course in ETS eCampus which they offer for free. Once complete you get a voucher for ETS Lite, the program you use to configure the KNX devices:

https://my.knx.org

The dongle you need is €60 and with VAT and delivery it works out just over €90. The Professional version is €1,000 but if you wait around you'll see offers, particularly in October, 26% off etc. The Course above also gives you an small upgrade discount to Professional but it's a lot of money just to program a light switch! The Lite version allows you to program up to 20 KNX devices. Not exactly sure what that means in practice and if it will cover a small house but we'll see. The Demo version of the ETSS software covers 5 devices so you're not completely stuck!!

Next you'll need to get hold of further knowledge. The best forums are in German & French. I advise using the Google Chrome browser and activate auto translate!

Here they are:

https://knx-user-forum.de

http://www.knx-fr.com

They will respond in English but the best content is anything but!

I've ordered some basic KNX gear to start me off and get familiar. This post gives sample kit to start off with and was what prompted me to fire an order off:

http://www.knx-fr.com/showthread.php?tid=2129

The online shops are many but I used:

http://www.eibmarkt.com

There is also:

http://www.eib-shop.co.uk

http://knxshoponline.co.uk

http://www.ivoryegg.co.uk/shop/t/knx

So, once everything arrives I can wire it up and see how I get on, can I get a light bulb to turn on and off?!! We will see! At least most of the kit is directly applicable to my own House project so it's going straight in there. I've gone for the bigger versions of most devices to ensure it can be of use, a good investment hopefully! Time will tell!

Good luck with whatever Home Automation technology you are using and may the right light switch always turn on for you!

Pre-Planning Submitted

Pre-Planning Submitted

So, today was the day I finally saw the sketches being submitted to the Council for Pre-Planning. It's a small but important step on the road to find out out if I can build a house.

The sketches have taken a while to develop but at 89 square meters represent a very comfortable house for 1-2 people. The Architects, MosArt, have done a fine job extracting my requirements and with little nudging getting the sketch to where it's at.

The main feature of the site is that the front of the house is just off South at 220 degrees. This means the rear of the house, which is perfect for privacy is a lot darker. The challenge was to increase light here through the use of as many windows and skylights as possible. I've also got a roof at the front suitable for up to 6 solar PV panels. I might also fit some down the back if I'm lucky later.

The key interior design is an open plan living / dining / kitchen area at the rear. With a sliding door to the Garden it represents new living space for me and a chance to break out of my bedroom where I tend to spend most of my time currently!

So, looking forward - there's a few more things to do. Feedback from the planners is of course going to be anxiously awaited but they are very busy currently so we'll see how we do there.

Cost is the other big factor. I plan to engage a Quantity Surveyor and get a handle on costs to determine if this is something I can afford. I can then choose to proceed, proceed but do more of the work myself, or, cancel the build as it's too expensive. I can work with the Architect to reduce cost but at some point you have to call it a day if you're too stretched. There are other ways to get a home after all...!

Once I make a decision on cost I see Planning Permission and going out to Tender as a joined up task as one leads to the other. Finding a good builder and bringing in the project on budget are going to be very important goals.

Well, I wish you well on your projects at whatever stage they are at!

Stage 1 Complete - Up to Pre Planning

Stage 1 Complete - Up to Pre Planning

Well, made it to pre-planning with a good set of sketches finally. The house has increased in size squeezing the back garden a bit but I'm looking at 90 square meters instead of 75. The issue of cost comes into it of course so I'll probably engage a Quantity Surveyor for the first time and see what they come back with. At the very least it will give me a realistic cost to build and if that's over my budget and contingency then it's game over. But if not or if it's close I can keep an eye on costs, do more myself and get this over the line!

I'm just back from a UK Homebuilding & Renovation show in London's Exxcel exhibition hall. That's a big sucker, like multiple RDS's and a food court down the center! Got two appointments with an Architect and Interior Designer and some good common ideas. Talked to a few vendors at their stands and was a bit shocked at some of the prices. A nice open glass sided staircase costs over 25K sterling! Think I'll mark that as a nice to have for now!

There was also a few good talks on various topics, not least was budgeting. Unfortunately the slides aren't available to my knowledge afterwards to it's take photos or notes from items that stick in your head or you're lost. Impressed with the Federation of Master builders in the UK, there is an FMBI of course over here but it appears to have a different focus unfortunately.

There were loads of tips at these talks including several on renovations, interior design with lots of pictures demonstrating ideas and trends. You could spend all day at one of the three talk areas and listen away! 

The size of the exhibition was larger than BiCester, slightly bigger than the Cork Self Build I've been to previously but well worth visiting even if most of them don't cover the ROI. I was surprised to hear that the Mortgage Store does offer a small number of vendors in ROI! 

You always get to play with a few bifolds and lift and slide doors. One thing I picked up on was when a lift & slide door is open, the two overlapping sections are much harder to see through. Not something I'd picked up on before. Solarlux have a nice airtight bifold set of doors, the doors fit into each other and this groove helps with air tightness, still not sure how they would hold up and good installers as ever might be harder to find. 

Nothing on KNX there, some more bespoke entertainment centric automation pieces were demonstrated though. ADT alarms have an app and their controller can do more automation but won't integrate with anyone else's. Typical of most vendors today, they are duplicating intelligence that would be better centralised. This is unlike Cytech's alarm panel for instance which has a KNX interface. 

What else can I add? The more you read and listen, the more you learn. Compared to a year ago I've picked up SO much and while I've not touched a brick or window from my planned house yet it's amazing how much detail goes into designing one. 

One surprise from the weekend in London was both Professionals I had a 15 minute talk with suggested an ideal spot for a wood burning stove, something I'd not considered, being more attracted to heat pumps etc. But as a focal point in the room it made a lot of sense. Also, I've an internal window and saw a great idea to create a protruding box so you can sit down and look into the open plan area from above, which mirrors the rear feature window. Another great idea was to create shelves in the internal studwork. This can be in the Bathroom for showel gel/shampoo and in the Bedroom for a reveal behind the top of the bed. There were great examples shown with it lit up in the Bedroom. 

Anyway, there are lots of things to consider at all stages so enjoy and I hope in another year I'll be on my way to something big and beautiful!

Climate Change

Climate Change

This post delves a little in my motivation for building a home instead of buying one. I've been asked this question a few times and I don't think I'm explaining myself well enough so I'll try coalesce my thoughts here to help me in the future when quizzed.

I read a book just recently I referenced in my last blog post. It captures perfectly the type of information that makes most sense to me. A 360 degree high level view of how serious the problem of changing our energy demand to renewable resources really is. The Author builds up two bar charts, one of the various types of energy demand we each personally create, the other how we can meet that demand with renewable resources. The scale of what is needed in the renewable sector is not anything we can solve personally, it will take national and global efforts to even approach a solution. I don't see this being possible with political will, we're going to need a United Nations with a big stick to beat the apocalypse in this race. And our Children are the prize.

Sounds nice doesn't it?!

The book is call "Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air!" - you can download a free PDF here:
http://www.withouthotair.com

So, turning off that mobile charger when it's not in use isn't going to piss on this inferno so what can we do?! Educate, pay attention. Avoid the media, tune into real scientists and websites that prove facts clearly so we can put pressure on our society to change. And I'm not even going to point you there, time to switch on and be active in this area, sorting out the fud from the facts and learn who to tune into and trust vs who is just mouthing bullshit.

For my opening question, our existing housing stock is so crappy, it's unreal. Regulation will never trump personal responsibility and societal norms (peer pressure). We're ending up even today with houses that are built the cheapest way possible while still meeting regulations. There are exceptional builders but these are rare. It's all about profit and keeping the cycle going.

Building your own house exposes you to so many options. It's a steep learning curve but only a new house is going to meet the air tightness, levels of insulation and standards that YOU set, above and beyond what Governments believe are necessary. And there is a significant gap. Now, you can't micro manage every contractor so you have to employ the best you can on faith and hopefully get 98% of what you intended but that's still a world of difference from existing mass developed housing stock and a house you personally have a stake in.

One of the solutions offered in the book is to reduce our demand for energy. We'll always have more devices to plug in, altough these are getting more efficient - so looking at hot water and heating consumption requires a rethink of how we design and layout our houses, even the size is important. We take on this responsibility when designing a house alongside Professionals and I've decided that the Passive House standard is where I want to go for this reason. The options of using Warmcell insulation, Fermacell drywall, non VOC building materials and furnishings, non formaldehyde flooring is going to drive up the cost a bit but each of these elements improves the quality of my life, reduces the embodied energy in manufacturing the building materials as many are made from recycled products and gives me a sense of doing the right thing in challenging myself to build more sustainably. Cradle to cradle is a term I suggest you might look into....

Whatever your motivation, using the renovation grant to improve the energy efficiency of your home is going to help, it's one of many steps we'll all need to take to move our Country towards the future where we eliminate the burning of fossil fuels to maintain our lifestyles. Let's hope we all hear the message and play our part so our children can play theirs without too much of a stacked deck against them.

Enjoy the Race!

Heating Philosophy

Heating Philosophy

I thought I'd use this post to delve into two options I'm considering for space & hot water heating in my new home. One uses a Hot Water Tank and the other instant Hot Water with no tank.

Each has it's own attributes but some of the factors I'll be using to decide on which route to go are:

• limited space heating required, mostly wintertime
• Myself: limited hot water usage, 3 minute shower daily, some washing up at sink, shave once per week
• Other person: Unknown
• Occupancy max of 1 to 2 people

So, the reason this is more of a philosophical argument is that for years everyone automatically got a hot water tank. But my issue with that is for one person it's overkill. Even a small one. The standing looses and constant need to top it up means storing hot water at 55 degrees becomes a drain on a good air source heat pump. Why not just create it as you need it? It comes down to a simple principal:

Store & Loose OR Create & Use!

So, why not store it and go conventional - here are my list of pros / cons of a hot water tank system:

Pros:

• Plenty of knowledge around on how to do this, there are some interesting variations but it's every conventional, any plumbers can put one together for you
• Good store of ready to use hot water at all times of the day (hopefully!)
• Better for larger households
• Can use pressurised system to pump hot water around a circuit continually to ensure no dead legs
• Can supplement with Solar Thermal system

Cons:

• Recharge time, teenager 30 minute shower vs timing of your own can be frustrating! 
• Standing losses, both in the tank itself and in the hot water pipes, the water essentially goes cold in the pipes after an hour despite any insulation
• Heat from tank will leak into surrounding spaces, not nice in an air tight house in summer!
• Dead Legs between hot water tank and use points, wastes a lot of water each year....vs water charges!
• Space required for Hot Water Tank, position vs use points hard to optimize in most houses
• Legionella risk mitigated by storing at 55 degrees +, or must use immersion once a week, ASHP isn't optimised to heat hot water to this temperature, lowers COP. 

And as for creating it as you need on demand:

Pros:

• You create exactly the quantity you need, at the exact temperature you need, precisely where you need it (or close enough!)
• No risk of Legionella as no hot water is stored
• Stops waste of using kettle to boil imprecise amounts of water that's not even needed / used
• No Dead Legs if using electric, very short runs between showers possible if sited above / below each other
• Can supplement power requirements by using Solar PV & Sunamp PV to store daytime energy

Cons:

• OK for 1 or 2 people but do efficiencies drop after that for larger families? Or do you just scale it?
• If using Combi gas boiler - still has dead legs
• Electricity use for all hot water needs if no Combi
• Increases reliance on Electricity as sole energy point if not using Gas Combi, more sensitive to price fluctuations
• Little knowledge out there, relying on manufacturers / suppliers for diagrams, troubleshooting etc, riskier as few have done it in practice. 

My current goal is to use an instant water heater in the Kitchen under the sink. Then for the showers, I hope to connect Solar PV panels to a Sunamp PV (for preheat) and Stiebel Electric water heater:

http://www.ithouk.co.uk

http://sunamp.co.uk

https://www.stiebel-eltron.co.uk/en/products-solutions/dhw/instantaneous_waterheater/overview.html

I've found good info on some of these options on the excellent buildhub site:

http://forum.buildhub.org.uk

There are still some interesting options such as Eco Heating systems with a Twist:

https://originaltwist.com/2016/06/23/eco-heating-system-for-heat-pumps/

Tank in Tank systems also provide some skews to the traditional approaches:

http://www.greentherm.ie/solutions/thermal-stores-and-hot-water-cylinders-from-greentherm/

Greentherm do a great Solar Thermal drainback system which is safer than one which leaves fluid in the panel which when not being pumped turns to sludge. But these are options for another day!!

Now, the focus here was mainly on hot water where most of the house energy is concentrated but space heating is also required. An air source heat pump is a good option when paired with under floor heating but ideally you want to gain some synergy between the hot water and space heating. There's no reason why you can't add an ASHP into the Sunamp/Stiebel combination, it just adds to the cost though. Also some MHVR units combines an ASHP anyway. Lots to consider so it's not a choice to be made in isolation if cost and all those maintenance charges are a worry. 

I hope the information above gives you some insight into the possibilities available today that weren't choices even 10-15 years ago. I'm sure there will be more options in another 10-15 years! Best of luck investigating your own space/hot water heating solutions. Find a good oracle/tradesperson you trust and see what they suggest while leaving options open for tweaks in the future......

BTW - I'm reading an excellent paper called "Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air!" - you can download a free PDF here:
http://www.withouthotair.com
Chapter 21 really delves into the best way to heat your home and get hot water...!

Project Update August 2016

Project Update August 2016

So, moving onwards slowly!! I've been working with the Architects to shift the ridge-line left to right rather than front to back. This gives me a short roof to mount solar panels on. I've also been looking into Vortex wind turbines suitable for domestic use but my boundary is far too close to be allowed. It can work with turbulent air and we had a LOT of that this weekend so hopefully this or similar technology will emerge one day we can use in suburbia!

I got two drawings from the Architects last week, and decided to do a third myself taking things a little further. I blanked out the insides of one of the sketches and printed out a few copies. This gave me a blank canvas to doodle on using a pencil and rubber, haven't used these in years. I could have used Google Sketch-Up or something but I was travelling and it meant any changes only took a minute or less or if I wanted to review something, just a few seconds.

The stairs as always is challenging in a small house, headroom, where is pokes into the upstairs etc really determines the room spaces you'll end up with. I'm looking at the kitchen / living space at the back of the house but this space faces north. I'd like big windows but this poses a heating challenge and may not be possible. I wonder if the quality of light will be sufficient either? The current house I live in has a kitchen that is rear facing but two windows allow you to see out north and east which is not too bad.

I've opted for a small 2 meter by 1 meter washing / drying room off the kitchen but the upstairs bedroom is over this. In order to access two sides of the clothes horse I'm going to ask for no walls but rather a set of bi-fold french doors that open this space all the way. In other words the doors open the entire space and join it to the kitchen. Of course the upstairs bedroom needs to rest on something so I'd imagine some steel beam will be required. Then with a good extract duct this space can quickly dry clothes!

The rest of the spaces are fairly conventional. I measured all the rooms and the couch in my current house to give me an idea of the minimum space I'd require of each room in my new house. The laser pointer is really handy in this regard! A few doodles later and I was able to mark my own bedroom up in my head and see what space I would require either side of the double bed and to allow me to open the wardrobe doors comfortably. The living space was trickier but I felt a 4m x 4m space was ideal to allow me to walk either side around the couch, have space behind it and keep 2 meters away from the TV. That's 16 meters squared wasted though which is a lot!

Just waiting for the Architects to respond now and see if they think this layout if a runner or not!

Update: Well, there was a concern that the living space at the back of the house would be too dark but adding roof windows should help. As we've extended the depth of the building a bit I'm wondering if the vaulted ceiling / warm roof will stretch that far or if Glulam beams will be needed. There was also something new I'd learnt about fire regulations. I was hoping to look down on the open plan area from the top of the staircase and leave the hallway open but if you do this the Kitchen must be enclosed which defeats the purpose in my opinion. The risk of fire starting in the Kitchen is a strong reason to close off the front of my house to the rear, so we've added fire rated glass doors and shut off the top of the stairs to separate the open plan space to the rest of the bedrooms vs hallway / stairs which form the fire escape routes. So, now the Architects are off to render a few 3D sketches I can use to talk to the neighbours, pre-planning and the site owner etc. September should be an interesting milestone if I can exit Stage 1!!

Senior Co-Housing

Senior Co-Housing

While doing research for myself on my Self-Build my mother asked me to view some senior residential houses in the midlands. I thought the nursing home was ok (she's not ready for that yet though!) but the associated accommodation meant to support independent lifestyles was awful. The houses were laid out like a normal housing estate with a road through it and no obvious communal area or sense of community. It just felt wrong. I decided to see if there was a better approach and found the following book online:

Senior Cohousing Handbook, 2nd Edition (Senior Cohousing Handbook: A Community Approach to Independent Living) - written by Charles Durrett

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0865716110/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
So, I got a chance to delve in it this weekend and I was very impressed. The author spent over a year visiting communities in Denmark and the USA to give us a good account of what works, why and how to approach such an endeavour. Most Senior Co-Housing has number of around 25 units ideally but 20-35 isn't unheard of. In Denmark if more than 25 people from an area register their interest, a coordinator is dispatched to set up an information meeting and engage with local officials. Then from that meeting if a consensus is reached, a core grouped can be formed to begin the journey.

So what about Ireland & the UK? I found the following BBC video but it shows that after 18 years the first Senior Co-Housing unit is only opening it doors this year after some of the original members have passed away:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35480989

I emailed Age Action in Ireland to find out if any such units exist here. I did visit Cloughjordan with my mum earlier this year and that is a great example of inter-generational co-housing, more along the lines of what they call permaculture, but it's not quite what I was after. 

Cloughjordan links:

http://www.thevillage.ie

Age Action:

https://www.ageaction.ie/how-we-can-help/information-service

Irish Council for Social Housing:

http://www.icsh.ie

Retirement Villages:

http://www.retirementservices.ie/retirement.html

I'm not gong after social housing, many independent seniors own their own house but it's too large or remote for them and isn't always built to be part of a community, it's just another house on a long street with others. The last link provides an interesting development called Middletown House. Now I'm not sure how it's run but it looks to be laid out like a senior co-housing development would be. 

http://www.middletownhouse.ie/index.php

Apart from this example it appears there's no current example of Senior Co-Housing in Ireland today and if we're lagging behind the UK as we tend to do we're looking at 5-8 years before any get off the ground. 

In the USA there are non-profit developers who specialise in this and facilitators available to help core groups go through a three part programme as discussed in the book listed earlier. It's worth buying just to see what they talk about. The first workshop deals with what it means to grow old and really looks at the options square on. It doesn't force anyone to go down the Senior Co-Housing route, some valid options such as moving in with a daughter or care in their own home may be more realistic. The one comment that people who opted for moving into a Senior Co-Housing model was to "not be a bother to their kids". By getting to know each other during the 2-3 years it takes to develop, plan and build the units, the group get to know and rely on each other. 

Why Senior Co-Housing? Well the development itself is laid out very carefully, think on this:

• Small houses of between 800-1,000 square feet
• One central large common house @ 3-4,000 square feet - for communal meals and laundry
• All houses face the common house, their kitchens on this side and bedrooms / living space and garden at the quieter & private rear of each property
• Parking around the outside of the development

The idea is you can see from the kitchen if any activity is happening around the common area and join in (or not!). The common area is used for communal meals in which cooking responsibilities are rotated around. People tend to go there around 50-60% of the time so it's not compulsory. You just put your name in the hat that morning for the common potluck dinner! There are communal laundry facilities. You have to walk to your car so the likelihood of passing people and having a chat is high. It's all designed to create a community that involves and embraces contact between neighbours. The common house often contains self contained bedrooms to allow relatives stay overnight or to have a live in care giver to service the community more effectively. 

The site below provides links to the book above but also workbooks used in the workshop approach the author refers to:

http://www.cohousingco.com/cd-study-guides/

Now, you can do this any number of ways but learning from past examples will help you ask the right questions at the right time and I hope to find myself part of such a scheme in the years ahead. It sounds like just the level of social activity to help couples in their 50's take control of their future and if one should pass away rely on the support of their friends and neighbours in that tight knit village to help them through those difficult times. How may widows and widowers go home to an empty house and shrivel with no one to call on them. The common area is such a great idea but no housing development really provides it today in Ireland, you come and go as you please but long streets are no substitute for a porch you can sit on and wave at people going by and beckon them over for a quick chat to pass the day....those small villages are long gone. 

The houses themselves can be constructed to save energy and be cheaper to run but all those decisions can be taken by the core group among many others, some of the most important being a charter of what's expected of each resident and clarify other important questions. It's all about consensus and learning to live again in a larger "family". 

With people living longer and retirement age increasing there is massive pressure on finding large houses for young families. By promoting senior communities like these it would allow those larger home to be freed up and give seniors a much more supportive role in the community rather than relegating them to unproductive pension takers in societies eyes. Until their turn comes of course!!

I hope this gives Irish people an insight into a better possibility for their future and I hope someday it's embraced by Government, Developers and Architects to help us take care of our seniors who took care of us so well. Comments Welcome! 

Timberframe vs ICF

Timberframe vs ICF

This post touches on one of the choices you encounter when researching self-builds, the build methods themselves. There are two main branches, traditional brick/masonry vs quicker ICF and then timberframe vs SIP. Basically concrete vs timber. We're not using fibre glass or exploring straw bale, mud or other methods here.

So if you've attended any of the shows you'll already have seen samples of Timberframe and ICF. I've been thinking about the merits of each but come to the conclusion, as have others, that the method doesn't really matter as much as the construction company themselves. It's akin to buying cattle, don't check the cattle, check the seller!

So, the most important thing is to get a feel for the company themselves, how long have they been around, have you read about them in online forums and was the feedback positive? As you'll be paying a deposit, it might be worth getting a credit check done, especially if there is a dip in the market as some are on shakier financial footing and won't tell you.

I've approached MBC Timberframe myself and liked what they have to say and what's been said about them online. So for that reason I'll be lining them up on my shortlist. I'm also not as drawn to 22 meters squared of concrete as I am to Scandinavian Timber & Warmcell insulation from a carbon footprint point of view. The thought of living in a timber house appeals to me more even though from the outside after building, it's not going to be possible to tell the difference. There are fire safety concerns but using the right materials and mitigating solutions such as watermist suppression systems can be designed in.

So, I'm not going to 'diss either method as both are good and provide a solid home. Do a bit of research and see if you can visit a home they built and ask about any issues encountered, and more importantly, how they went about fixing those issues. That's the nugget that can swing me, problems will occur but will a company roll up their sleeves and put it right straight away or not?

Whatever method you end up with I hope it's a smooth build and you're happy with the end product after 1, 2 or 5+ years afterwards. There should be no creaks or cracks if the work is solid or any dampness intruding into your dream home after it's complete. You may have to hang kitchen units and your 60 inch TV a slightly different way but as long as that's it and it performs well, who cares?!

Zombieland

Zombieland

Disclaimer: I recommend consulting with an expert about any information provided below before making any changes to your home, especially with regard to the use of generators.

So, this post is about one of those weird musing I get from time to time! I'm planning a Passive House which will rely on various fuel sources to keep it warm, provide hot water, keep fresh air flowing and to cook with / store food. But what if there is a power cut? Unlikely you may say. Well, I'd nearly agree but I lived through a few power cuts as a kid in Ireland and it's not nice! You only realise how much you take it for granted when it's gone and I always remember the moment it comes back on as you feel only then that normality has returned.

So, the scenario I was thinking of centres around Gas. Huh, I hear you say?!! I thought you said Electricity would cut out? Well, think about it, we have an aggresor Gazprom/Russia in control of most of the natural gas supplying Europe. If they use that for leverage in 2028 for example then turn it off for 5 days at a time as negotiations drag on, what is everyone going to do? You need to cook and heat your home, so everyone plugs in an electric fire or four and buys a new electric cooker / water heater. Guess what happens to the electricity demand? Plus in many countries over half their Electricity is generated by Gas and you've a big spike, inadequate supply so each country will shut down their inter-connectors to preserve shut out any non-domestic Electricity demand. We regularly import Electricity in Ireland and while we've a big stake in a huge station in Manchester but no plans for any new power plants in Ireland, we'll be at a major disadvantage: end result - California rolling blackouts. Remember we're also seeing an increase in the number of Datacenters, who do you think will win the argument for access to limited electricity in the short term, big business or citizens? You can bet your 10 cent that money will talk and priority will be given to businesses. And these are 24 hour setups, not ones they can give it back to us in the evenings or weekends!

So, that's all the doom and gloom so what can we as individuals do about it? Knowledge is one key element. Check out the following links to learn a bit more:

So this link shows all power outages in Ireland - there is an Android / iPhone app also, get it!
https://www.esb.ie/esb-networks/powercheck/

Next, there is a list of advice for those at risk of storm damage interrupting their supply:
https://www.esbnetworks.ie/power-outages-updates/be-prepared
Some good advice here for short term outages.

I contacted ESB Networks about the equivalent of the following portal they have in the UK:

http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk

They responded that I should contact the Eirgrid group and sure enough they have a portal and it's actually very good, much better than I suspected:

http://www.eirgridgroup.com/how-the-grid-works/system-information/

http://smartgriddashboard.eirgrid.com

So a few surprises, wind encompasses up to 1,000MW which was shocking, I assumed it was much lower, even on a better day. The highest ever was 28-01-16 when we got 2,683MW from wind alone! The highest demand ever was 21-12-10 with all the snow @ 6878MW, usually it's @ 5,000MW, so nearly half came from wind last January! With regard to the generation mix - Gas usage is up to 60% though for the week/month. While they can switch over to Diesel if there is a problem it shows this fuel is part of the magic mix and a strategic one at that. The interconnection graphs show we're importing up to 500MW during Mon-Fri. This is regular and sustained, not good.

So, with regard to how this impacts you and I. You need to take a look at your own usage. In the event of a Gas AND Electricity shortage, how will you heat you home for short periods? You'll only drop say two degrees a day in a Passive House when it's cold outside but you could gain 7-9 degrees from the south facing windows via the Sun so you have a net gain. To top up if it's overcast, a superser gas heater is the most obvious route to go, just make sure you have a full bottle of gas lying around to keep it running as these will disappear fast. I know you can get light and cooking from the gas bottle but you need appliances geared up for it or just get a camping stove set etc. An extra gas bottle if the risk rises would be important too. Note: If buying one of these devices watch that the valve connection is compatible with Irish Bottle gas as it is different in the UK - A B&Q superser will not fit, you'll need a different regulator so watch out for this.

Now, your MHRV is powered by electricity. No, you won't suffocate if it isn't working, not overnight anyway! You need to open windows to ventilate during the daytime when the heat differential isn't as great but that should get you by. It may require additional top up heating as a result and to open a window if cooking / showering etc. Not much you can do about this.

Hot Water is interesting, assuming interruptions in the mains water due to pump issues, you're probably going to be looking at wet wipe showers and using water for cooking, reuse for washing / cleaning and flushing loos. It's at this time I think of rainwater harvesting. Now, you do need a pump to fill the header tank but a manual system could be rigged up easy enough. Assume the sewers are working to some degree or you'll need a compost toilet and careful sanitation. While the use of rainwater doesn't currently have any economic payback this is when it could assist. A water butt tank might get you by if it's just you - fill a bucket and flush the loo with it etc. Still just a consideration than a necessity. Having a 1500L+ underground tank vs a 200L Rainwater butt is the equation you'll need to balance, if you don't have it you can't use it.

Of course you can use Solar PV and a thermal or electrical store. These leak however so best case is the loss of Gas & Electricity happens in the summertime you might get by with batteries and lowering your usage. In the winter however when it's more likely to be timed for political reasons, you're not going to be able to recharge the battery even if you managed to keep it fully charged up to the time you needed it. The capacities available fall far short of what would be needed and Energy Harvesting for medium term storage in the form of hydrogen etc is not viable currently. Maybe in 10 years we'll have more options to generate in the summer and store/use in the winter.

Storing food in the garden shed, outside of the thermal envelope still provides some security. Chest freezers will stay cold for quite a while. There's a guy in Australia using his as a fridge as it loses less heat when opened so he's keeping it at 3-4 degrees C with a thermometer controlled plug. So, if you can, use up all your frozen food first, switch food to the chest freezer and see if that keeps you going for a while.

With regard to lighting, if you had a battery you could afford to run a few small loads such as LED. There is also developing country projects that use a weight to power an LED for 30 minutes before you need to reset it. That plus handheld flashlights are probably a useful backup.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/gravitylight-lighting-for-developing-countries#/

Assess all the other devices in your home. You car can provide a mobile phone charging point (if the network cells are operating) and a radio for receiving updates. The obvious source of it's power Petrol/Diesel is also an option.

Now a generator is an option here. They are fed with regular unleaded and can power your home. There are a lot of considerations so seek expert advice on this one. Security might be a concern as the noise it makes and all the lights you have on will be a giveaway. Ensure you have working AND tested battery powered smoke and CO detectors in your house if using a generator. As an example: A Honda model that does 7000 watts on 240V can run for 6.5 hours on 20 litres (this is when powering a full load or it can last longer, up to 18 hours on a quarter of that load). This would cost around 5K though! Honda have a great website to get more information but always speak to an expert:
http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators
A Transfer switch must be installed to ensure you are not putting yourself or electrical workers at risk. This isolates the house from the mains and prevents generator power flowing to outside your house and killing someone. Talk to an expert about this and other precautions to be used with a generator and the correct procedures in using one.

There are other scenarios that will influence matters outside of a power loss. Floods, high winds and fires can all affect power supply. It may even make it hazardous to run supplemental sources if your house is impacted / damaged. An emergency box with medical supplies, food, clean water and blankets / spare clothing might be useful if you can access it.

So, hope I've not scared you completed. There are a lot of options out there but becoming too dependant on Electricity I feel is not a good thing. Examining the energy usage patterns you build up should make you realise that any loss for more than a few hours will impact you. Keeping you and your loved ones safe will require some planning and a small investment, things to keep out in the garden shed. If a spate of power cuts actually occurs, a more substantial investment might be required.

OWL Energy Monitor

OWL Energy Monitor

I was looking at different hot water / heating options and the use of off peak electricity to charge a Sunamp PV / ASHP & Sunamp which then prompted me to question if off peak electricity would make any sense for one or two people?

I'm currently paying a tariff of €0.1665 per kWh. Offpeak would change that to €0.2024 daytime and €0.0985 nighttime (ex-VAT) plus an increase of the standing charge. They say you would need to be using over 4 units per night to make it worth while. We don't do THAT much washing to be honest!!

To determine what my household is using I purchased an OWL Energy Monitor, the cloud version:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008MYXEHW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I got it within 2 days using priority delivery from the UK. I'm not 100% sure what the voltage is, assume 230V but have also purchased a plug in monitor for individual appliances to tell me that. So far so good, the clamp is reporting the energy usage on the mains circuit, it uses 2 x AA batteries easily replaced and I've set up an alert to tell me when they run low, an option in the Owl settings. It also displays a battery remaining graphic.

So I should get more interesting results over the next week. I already noticed when I printed out an email that my usage doubled!! Then tracing large spikes will be the next phase to understand what they are, kettles, washing machine cycles, and any unusual standing usage that aren't obvious.

Most smart meters I imagine will have this feature but as it's an older house and I don't see energy companies here being in a rush to replace them, unlike in the UK.

I'll report back when I get more stats but it's a first step to understand what my own usage is and tailor that before moving into a new home.

June 2016 Update and Self-Build Live

June 2016 Update and Self-Build Live

I find attending exhibitions a great chance to talk directly with various suppliers and to see examples of their products. While continuing the voyage of getting pre planning lined up I headed over to Bicester, UK for the day to see what the show there was like. I'd attended the Ideal home Exhibition and the Self-Build exhibition but was curious what differences I would find.

The best two contacts I made were with 'Trish in MBC timberframe and Andy from Sunamp. Besides this there were several other stands that took my interest and the talks in the afternoon when I wanted to rest my feet proved interesting..!!

MBC Timberframe

I'd heard great things about this company. They currently manufacture in Cahir, Ireland but most of their market is in the UK. Patricia was kind enough to sit down with me and answer loads of questions I had about the whole process. She is an Architectural Technician and is a PassiveHouse Designer so knows all the ins and out plus bags of experience from all the projects MBC have undertaken, what to watch out for etc which she freely shared.

The payment system was one of the first things I asked about. With an arrears based mortgage would I be able to afford to order a timber framed house? They have several stages and as each is reached they expect payment at that exact time, not 30 days hence. It's split out quite well with 6 stages so I hope the bank will play ball:

Deposit - 10%
Sign off Drawings - 15%
Delivery of Foundation - 20%
Delivery of Timber to Site - 20%
Completion of Timber erection - 20%
Completion of Air Tightness Test - 20% (using a third party which MBC pay for)

Now I know my maths is out but that gives you a rough idea, you'll need 25% to get the order booked and in their queue, that will take about 12-13 weeks currently. Once they get started you'd better have the next 60% ready as they work fast!! You should only use the information provided here as indicative, contact your timber framed provider for an official list of their pricing structure.

Some other tips/notes 'Trish provided were as follows:

• Get your roof tiler in before MBC finish up to check their finishing match up with what roofer requires to lay the tiles
• Cellecta screed board 28 is brilliant for first floor noise dampening. They usually use it in apartment builds but I read a lot about noisy 1st floor wooden floors and this product could be part of the solution. Rockwool and sound block plasterboard for rooms such as the bathroom would also be advisable! 
• They supply the twin stud without insulation and pump it - cellulose insulation (=warmcell) onsite so that it easily bridges the gaps between the panels. They use something like an apple corer to check the density of the insulation through a section of the wall afterwards
• Fill any WC's / sinks  with water and seal off any pipes / window handle holes (!) before doing the air pressure test - some failures are due to keyhole in window handles!
• Bi-Fold doors have air tightness problems - I was hoping to use them but there are only two I could find meeting Class 4 but this might not be enough
• They use Scandanavian Pine / Larch with C16/24 rating
• Cover the MHVR ducts until commissioning to prevent dust / plaster / bug contamination

Sunamp 

These are an interesting company I'd been aware of for a short while but I'd not spoken to them before. Their man Andy was very knowledgeable and I got a hot pocket which shows how their Phase Change Material stores and releases Thermal heat.

He suggested using a pair of batteries for Hot water and another for under floor heating. They can be recharged with night rate electricity and an Air Source Heat Pump. I was planning on PV but wintertime is when this will be challenging. I'm still thinking about using one of their units but want to see what my heating demand is first in the PHPP. Worth checking out though!

The main interest of mine is their ability to take in cold water and output it at 58 degrees or with a mixer, a lower temperature. I take 3 minute showers so if it's just me this could provide my daily hot water easily. I'm hoping to avoid a 300 litre hot water tank, it's just a waste for one or two people!

Rainwater harvesting

This was surprised me as they have a well thought out solution. My first question was stagnation. They have a system that automatically recycles the water in the header tank (100 litres) if it doesn't use more than 85 litres in 3 days. This just refreshes from the rainwater tank so you're not loosing anything or wasting mains water. There is a holiday button which refreshes from mains water so it doesn't go stagnant also. The header tank is the way to go I think, a direct system has less flexibility. Most of the tanks they sell are shallow dig tanks laid about 2 meters deep, they can hold 1500 - 7500 litres with various sizes. You just need to keep the water table over the top of the tank.

For prolonged power cuts there is a manual mode and they reckon the whole system costs 1p per person per day to operate. The header tank should be 1.2 meters above the highest toilet and 5 meters above the washing machine. Maintenance is simple, check the steel filter and wash out any silt with a £30 dirty water pump every few years. The pump in the tank is a sealed unit but very reliable. There is 330mm from the top of the tank to the ground so freezing should not be an issue.


There was a lot of other stands including a house they had built of ICF (without the concrete). ICF is like the lego block system of construction and interesting! I also spoke with an Enphase Rep about micro inverters and a new Lithium-Iron battery system they are releasing this year. It's IRON not Ion so has a much safer threshold necessary for domestic usage!

I also watched a presentation from Build-Zone who do structural warranties and the pictures of some of their scare stories! One house burnt down due to overloading a power extension during construction, imagine that when you're on a tea break and there's little left! Well worth checking you have sufficient reinstatement cover and read your policy documents! Get the structural warranty arranged before you start building as the inspections allow them to assess the risk, otherwise you'll pay a lot more as they have to cover themselves. Regarding theft, it usually happens within 3 days of delivery, usually someone on the build makes a call. Recording the arrival / departure of all workers helps mitigate this a bit as word will travel that their presence has been noted and blabbing about valuable materials that just arrived onsite will hopefully not happen.

Links:

http://www.mbctimberframe.co.uk
http://www.cellecta.co.uk/cellecta-brands/screedboard-acoustic-insulation-boards/screed-board-28-acoustic-floor-insulation/
http://sunamp.co.uk
http://www.rainwaterharvesting.co.uk
http://www.build-zone.com

In case you haven't heard or don't know ebuild forums are closing down and buildhub has been setup as it's spiritual successor:
http://forum.buildhub.org.uk/ipb/
This is a good place to ask advice!

May 2106 Update & Fire Safety

May 2106 Update & Fire Safety

I'm currently looking at the Architect's initial sketch design and thinking about making a few changes. The great thing about lines on a page is they are much more easily shifted than when they become a detailed drawing or worse, about to be built!

When you look at a plan you might get that perfect feeling or like me you feel, great here but not so much here. This is where the Architect's experience will help shape the design in the direction you would like it to go. There's always concern of extra cost of course but this is a big investment. Do you add extra space for the sake of it, do you really need the extra room? What about moving the spaces around and would you prefer your bedroom upstairs or downstairs? Light and use of space takes a while to get right so I see this as a slow process that might take 2-3 months to get right. The tipping point is when you take a design so far but feel it's STILL not right, then you need to step back, rethink your brief and ask for a fresh approach and new design.

Take your time with this as making changes later costs. I could send the current sketch to pre-planning but I'd prefer to be certain this is the one I intend to build in case I scrap it and start over, no sense annoying the planners twice!

Talking to friends for advice and especially neighbours who may be impacted / overlooked / overshadowed needs time and patience. There's always the risk of a casual conversation triggering concerns but keep talking, Let people know where you're at and hopefully you can get good answers to meet their concerns.

On the subject of overshadowing there are some cool smartphone apps, one website I found really useful & easy was:
http://www.findmyshadow.com/
You start by grabbing a background pic from google maps - the satellite picture works best, then overlay the shapes on top of that - each building is made up of two parts with an A and B side - when set to different heights so can create the roof ridgeline. Then pick the date, press play and watch the sun create the shadows!

It doesn't accept measurements, just units. When you've created the shape of your new house (the sides of the building line up with where you expect them to be build) and it faces the right way - check the unit value and compare it to the actual measurements you've got in the design. to work out the height, you need to keep the same ratio, so some maths is required. This way you're keeping the same ratio and the roof size is proportional to the sides of the house. Give it a go and you'll see what I mean.

I suppose this is the fun phase, no pressure, just back and forth with the Architect until they are driven mad with "what about this or that" questions!! The trick is to get all of those out of the way and pin the design down. That's what I'm off to do next...!!

Best of luck with your own house design.

Fire Safety

With an Air Tight building you should keep one external door at least able to open outwards. The reason is in case of a fire - internal pressure will quickly build up in an airtight house and make pulling a door inwards much harder. This was experienced in an apartment fire in Germany in 2013. There is also a 7 times greater risk of flashover.

I'm going to check all the windows open outwards to facilitate egress and put smoke detectors in EVERY room in my house. I've found a water mist installer in Northern Ireland as there are none interested in residential work locally in Dublin!! It adds to the cost so I'll have to see if I can include it my budget but I don't think I can afford not to. It's compulsory to have a fire suppression system in all new builds in Wales currently.

In any case get expert advice and have an evacuation plan but be aware that fire safety in an Air Tight building requires a bit of thought as it can hit 600 degrees in 2 minutes. Have a read of these:

http://www.cjwalsh.ie/tag/serious-passivhaus-apartment-fire-in-koln-germany-on-the-night-of-5-february-2013/

http://sustainable-firengineering.ie/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NL_Modern-Residential-Buildings_Fire-Safety-and-Suppression_2015.pdf

Again, consult an expert on these matters and be informed. This is one area I'll be paying careful attention to.