Several parties in the NZ high-performance building sector have been working on big meaningful changes to the way we build and all of us agree the winning combination is to change the building code. NZGBC is the biggest player in this sector and it is awesome to see their target.
“To ensure zero carbon buildings in Aotearoa, the Government must set a 10-year trajectory to ensure new buildings are zero energy under the Building Code by 2030. We propose three updates to the Building Code in 2022, 2026 and 2030 to get there,” the NZGBC report states.
From our perspective hitting zero carbon will require buildings to perform at Certified Passive House levels AND use low embodied energy materials. Hopefully, NZGBC will receive heaps of support in this initiative and we can change the building code and cut out 20% of our emissions.
Making buildings better is one way to make a significant reduction in our carbon emissions while SAVING money over the lifetime of the building, improving occupants health, comfort and productivity. There is no downside once you look at lifetime value rather than how much it costs on day 1.
NZGBC discusses this on their site in a bit more detail here.
The NZGBC Zero Carbon Road Map for Aotearoa’s Buildings is available here.
Read more on this link.