ike saniel, Author at Sustainable Engineering Ltd.

Live online Passive House tradesperson training starts mid-April

High-performance construction demands precision. To get you up to speed with the building science that makes it work, our second online Certified Passive House Tradesperson course kicks off in mid-April....

by ike saniel

Updated: Mar 2026

Selling solar and Passive House: Framing matters more than the math

A new New Zealand study shows solar panels add a mere 1.3% premium to a house’s sale price, and real estate agents completely ignore the “green” benefits to sell them...

by ike saniel

Updated: Mar 2026

Test drive your home’s energy performance with a Performance Snapshot

You wouldn’t buy a new car without taking it for a test drive. Yet, people regularly spend millions of dollars on new builds or major retrofits based purely on gut...

by ike saniel

Updated: Mar 2026

Useful advice on avoiding household mould

The prevalence of mould in New Zealand houses is a disgrace but it’s also not unique, as this American paper in the latest ASHRAE journal makes clear. The author claims about a...

by ike saniel

Updated: Jan 2026

Technical Notes

Air sealing with sealant and backing rod: yes, you need both

When it comes to keeping our buildings weathertight and preventing unwanted airflow, the humble air seal plays a vital role. The duo of sealant and backing rod are one option to achieving...

by ike saniel

Updated: Jan 2026

Understanding Our Energy Use: The RBS as a Foundation

When we talk about how much energy our homes in Australia and New Zealand consume, chances are the data underpinning those discussions comes from the Residential Baseline Study (RBS). As highlighted in...

by ike saniel

Updated: Jan 2026

Canada tackles the massive task of greening its buildings

We often look to other countries for examples and lessons learned in the push towards sustainable buildings. A recent article in Canada’s National Observer (July 2024) highlights the significant challenge and opportunity...

by ike saniel

Updated: Mar 2026

Mapping residential heat demand and resulting emissions

This is a new paper by Jack et al looking at how residential space heating and hot water varies across New Zealand regions with a focus on the amounts and carbon emissions....

by ike saniel

Updated: Jan 2026

UK progress on Passive House

The UK is way ahead of New Zealand in terms of numbers of certified Passive House buildings so it’s certainly instructive to see what we can learn. A recent article...

by ike saniel

Updated: Mar 2022