Niamh O'Donovan: 'Normal people' make passive house their home

Niamh O'Donovan with her partner Mark Cliffe at their passive home in Co Waterford.

Niamh O'Donovan has no heating bills. The passive home that she designed and built with her partner Mark Cliffe in Co Waterford is heated by the equivalent of a hairdryer.

"We have a compact ventilation system and we use solar gain (literally the heat that comes in through windows) as a heat source," says Niamh.