McCarthy Quality Homes

Our aim is to build homes with a low energy demand, ensuring consistently low running costs

The technologies being used to heat and ventilate homes are improving and evolving constantly. However what will remain relatively constant is the energy demand of your home. Due to Ireland's energy dependence we have little control over the supply side, but we can control our demand, and it is by reducing this demand that we can best protect ourselves from volatility in energy prices.

Homes which have a low energy demand are

- built to a size which is practical and comfortable.

- well orientated on the site.

- heavily insulated and well built.

- make some use of renewable technologies.

We produce a preliminary BER cert for all new dwellings prior to commencing work on site. At that stage it is possible to identify any weaknesses in the design or specification, and to gauge the annual energy demand.

If improvements are needed it is relatively simple to assess the impact of changing individual elements (i.e walls, roof, windows) and to then cost these changes. By focusing on individual elements, and the reduction in overall energy demand improving them will make, we can get a realistic picture of how a limited budget is best spent.

In practice we have found this system of carrying out a preliminary study to be invaluable, it is of no additional cost to the homeowner and always provides valuable information prior to a project commencing.

All new builds must by law be provided with a BER cert on completion, however at that stage the outcome is relatively academic. Discovering that mistakes have been made, and that performance is not what was expected, is inevitably difficult and costly to remedy once a house has been completed.

All our new homes come with a solar hot water heating system as standard. We have been fitting these since 2005 and have been impressed by their performance. Realistically, we have found them to be effective for around 8 months of the years (March - October) and even outside this period they bring the water up to a temperature where the cost of heating it further is significantly reduced. Provided the correct flashing is used the panels can have an attractive appearance on any roof.

We are happy to advise clients on renewable space heating technologies. However it is important to remember that these systems will only be efficient in a home with a low energy demand. Currently we feel it is more prudent to focus on reducing energy demand, thus reducing energy consumption to a level where the heat source becomes less important. We are reluctant to recommend heating systems which require a large initial capital outlay, are often complex, and likely to be outdated as technology evolves.

Air tightness is now part of the building regulations and is essential to achieving a really high rating on any build. In some ways the term is misleading and is probably better described as air control. For obvious health reasons all buildings need to be ventilated, but what is desirable is to control unwanted draughts and air leakages. These are usually a direct result of poor detailing and poor workmanship. From our experience to date, we feel that if a house is properly constructed then additional expenditure in this area is unnecessary. However if you are attempting to build, to passive house standards, then it is necessary to invest in mechanical heat recovery ventilation and for this to be successful, there needs to be a higher level of air tightness achieved.