Forwarded from the AECB forum. It's cut-and-pasted from several postings, so apologies for any discontinuities.

Cheers, Dave

Once again the AECB has a stand at Ecobuild this year. So if you are planning a visit, come over to stand 1593 and say hello.

We will be demonstrating The Passivhaus Buildings Planning Package (PHPP) and experts will be able to answer your questions. You can also find out more about Passivhaus Buildings, the new company set up by AECB to promote the Passivhaus standard in all types of new building, as well as other AECB initiatives, and our annual conference of course!

We can enrol new members on the stand, so if you're not a member and have been thinking of joining, you'll be very welcome to come and chat to find out more. And if as a member, you've been encouraging anyone to join, why not bring them along too?

We will also be hosting two fringe events:
1) Looking at indoor air quality and specifying MVHR.
Thursday 04 March 14.15 - 15.45 - Mall Room

2) Passivhaus workshop will examine the uptake of Passivhaus design in the UK.
Tuesday 02 March 
10.45 - 12.15 - Model Classroom.

It’s also definitely worth looking at the list of workshops, as many are being run by AECB members.

AECB is putting on two seminars in the Ecobuild Fringe (www.ecobuild.co.uk/fringe). Other AECB members are also giving talks and seminars, and our experts will be on the AECB stand throughout the show, so come and have a chat, ask your questions or just rest your feet!

Ventilation and MVHR Workshop, Ecobuild Fringe, March 4th, pm
Building design legislation and guidance are moving towards requirements for lower energy design, better fabric performance and lower levels of air-permeability. These requirements start to significantly impact on the issues of ventilation and indoor air quality.
The AECB will be hosting a workshop on the specific theme of ventilation for Passivhaus design. This two-hour session includes presentations about some of the key issues by Andrew Farr and Chris Herring from the Green Building Store, and an interactive, hands-on discussion about the principles of MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery). This will include a chance to look up close at an MVHR unit.

Passivhaus in the UK Workshop, Ecobuild Fringe, March 2nd, am explores the uptake of Passivhaus design in the UK. It will be run for the AECB by Henrietta Lynch, who is undertaking research into the uptake of Passivhaus design in the UK, at University College London. The session will include a presentation of this research, and an interactive workshop that will allow participants to contribute their views and experiences.

Other Ecobuild highlights involving AECB members include Howard Liddell of Gaia Architects discussing 'Zero Carbon without the Bling', and 'Living within Environmental Limits', Judith Thornton, Alan Clarke and John Cantor on tackling the carbon footprint of hot water, and Liz Reason on 'Is SAP fit for purpose now and in the future?'

Andy Simmonds (AECB CEO ) is giving a talk: ' Case study of a solid wall Victorian townhouse extension and refurbishment to near Passivhaus levels of energy performance', Tuesday 2nd March, 11.30 in the RICS theatre.

The talk forms part of the morning seminar entitled 'There’s no haus like Passivhaus: exploring the standard, doing the sums', frm 10.30-12. This in turn is a session within the 'Simplifying Standards, Guides & Tools' programme for Tuesday in the RICS theatre, see www.ecobuild.co.uk/seminars/simplifying-standards-guides-tools/tuesday-02-march.html

John Cantor is offering a " hype-free session on installing ground source heat pumps. Hope to cover issues and potential pitfalls, how to get the best from a system and realistic savings (or not).

Called: Practical installers.Introduction to installing and maintaining heat pumps: ground source Wednesday 3rd March. 16.45 – 17.45

Ground source heat pumps use pipes buried under the ground to extract heat. They are efficient in terms of running costs and carbon savings. But the conditions necessary to allow for a system to be installed require careful consideration. This session will cover the working principles of ground source heat pumps; appliance types; collector and emitter circuit options and an overview of the regulatory requirements.

For more details of all seminars, go to http://www.aecb.net/ and click on the Ecobuild link, or go to the main Ecobuild site www.ecobuild.co.uk.