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Dún Laoghaire votes emphatically for passive house standard
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Council has voted emphatically to make the passive house standard mandatory for new buildings. At a meeting on Tuesday night, councillors voted by 26 votes to 13 in support of putting the clause in the local authority’s development plan for 2016 to 2022.
The motion, sponsored by Councillor Marie Baker of Fine Gael, read that: “All new buildings will be required to meet the passive house standard or equivalent, where reasonably practicable.”
The motion defined "equivalent" as other evidence-based standards with an emphasis on comfort, indoor air quality, low energy consumption and the prevention of condensation.
Councillors supported the motion despite political pressure from government ministers, the Department of Environment, the Construction Industry Federation and Nama to reject it. Earlier this year, environment minister Alan Kelly and housing minister Paudie Coffey wrote to all local authorities in the Dublin region warning them against introduducing higher building standards locally.
Dublin City Council’s draft development plan contains a similar passive house clause and is currently out to publication consultation.
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