About Us


The Passive House Association of Ireland (PHAI) is a catalyst for the increased awareness of the opportunities and benefits of low energy design based on the Passive House principles, across the Irish construction industry as a whole. Passive House design is seen as a specifically proven successful way of designing such buildings.

The Mission of the PHAI is to promote, educate and facilitate, so as to develop a strong identity, understanding and demand for the Passive House concept.

The term Passive House or Passiv Haus suggests a very thorough and precise detailed design of a building with an energy demand 90% lower than most buildings. Through careful design, thought and calculations a building can be created to require only the lowest amount of energy 15kWhr/m2 pa.

It is important to emphasise that ‘Passive House’ defines an energy standard and a set of principles. The construction method and the design methodology are not predetermined.

For more information and answers to many of your questions, please see our FAQ.

PHAI is an Affiliated Association with the International Passive House Association.

The Association is non-profit-making in so far that all membership fees collected go toward the promotion of the Passive House Principles in their many varied forms.

Videos

See this Passive House Video Series to find out more.

Endorsements

“I am delighted to see the continued expansion and understanding of the Passive House Principles of design and construction throughout Ireland. We must continually inform and educate ourselves in building to low energy requirements and, where possible, certified to Passive House Institute standards. I wish the ‘Passive House Association of Ireland’, the very best in it’s efforts in this regard.” – Duncan Stewart

“The term ‘passive house’ – arguably the leading low energy building approach in the world – has entered the lexicon for anyone looking to build in Ireland over the last few years. This does not mean that everyone understands the term in full – many people remain unaware that it’s a specific, rigorous building standard, and mistakenly use it as a short hand for energy efficient building and use of renewables. The Passive House Association of Ireland will greatly help to correct this, showing Irish people the benefits in terms of comfort, energy and environment gained by building to the Passive House standard.” – Jeff Colley, Editor, Passive House Plus

Our Board Members

  • Current Chair Person – Dr Shane Colclough, Principle, Energy Expertise
  • Secretary – David Hughes, Senior Architect and Project Manager at Iarnrod Eireann
  • Treasurer – Paul McAlister, M.R.I.A.I, Certified Passive House Designer
  • OBM- Estelle Cotter, Passive House/Low Energy Design Marketing
  • OBM – Martin Murray, Martin Murray Architects
  • OBM – Tomas O Leary, Passive House Certifier and Trainer
  • OBM – Jeff Colley, Passive House Plus
  • OBM – Archie O Donnell, Integrated Energy Consultants
  • OBM – John Morehead, M.R.I.A.I, Certified Passive House Designer

Please feel free to contact the board here about membership, our plans and any other queries you may have about Passive House and low energy design or construction.

Disclaimer:

The Passive House Association of Ireland (PHAI) does not endorse or guarantee the professional activity of the members.

The Passive House Association of Ireland logo may be used by members on their company websites. Other uses of the logo will require prior written permission from the PHAI.