I often hear from designers and builders that New Zealand homes are plenty warm these days. That is factually not true and I think they are saying it out of guilt.
Half of New Zealanders say their homes aren’t warm enough. That’s the headline from BRANZ’s HEEP-2 study, which intensively monitored around 260 homes between 2022 and 2025. The 48% figure isn’t marginal it’s a public-health signal.
Living rooms have improved over the past 20 years (average evening temperatures of 20.4°C, well above the World Health Organisation’s 18°C minimum). Bedrooms have not. Overnight bedroom temperatures average 16.5°C, and 41% of adult bedrooms, 42% of children’s, and 31% of babies’ are never heated at all. Cold homes aren’t a comfort issue. They’re a health one.
We know how to fix this. The same BRANZ study found that a subset of new homes built to higher standards maintained 18°C-plus around the clock.
The point is, cold homes aren’t a mystery. They’re a decision.
Source: “Baby, it’s cold inside: Half of Kiwis say homes aren’t warm enough” Kate Newton, RNZ, 25 June 2026. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/environment/620339/baby-it-s-cold-inside-half-of-kiwis-say-homes-aren-t-warm-enough