While electrification will drive up electrical consumption, it will simultaneously lead to a vast decrease in overall energy demand. This is primarily because of the far greater efficiency of electric appliances and vehicles compared to their fossil fuel counterparts. If we can successfully make this nationwide shift, it has the potential to fix a lot of our energy-related issues, from …
Replicable design for energy-efficient homes in India
It’s interesting to see how other nations tackle energy efficiency in buildings. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE)’s Handbook of Replicable Designs for Energy Efficient Residential Buildings in India provides standardised and practical design templates aimed at reducing energy use in Indian homes. It does this by working through Passive House design strategies tuned for Indian climates. The notable difference …
Assessing feasibility of commercial PV generation
EECA recently published guidance for businesses weighing up commercial PV generation. As always, the devil lies in the detail, and understanding the methodology used to assess the viability of solar energy is important for businesses weighing up possible on-site PV generation. The report, Commercial-scale solar in New Zealand: Information for businesses considering investing in solar energy highlights several crucial considerations. …
Tech overview for ECCHO now available
The technical overview for the NZ Green Building Council Energy and Carbon Calculator for Homes is now available. The guide was put together by me and NZGBC’s Sam Archer. It’s a free download, available here, plus there’s general information about the guide here. We developed the first version of ECCHO in Excel using PHPPv9 as the engine, then Sam Archer …
Primary Energy Renewable (PER) is misunderstood
How PHI calculates eligibility for Passive House Plus and Premium certifications seems to be unclear, even to some experienced Passive House designers. There are many factors that impact the amount of energy generated by a specific renewable energy system on a day-to-day basis. But none of that matters for PH Plus or Premium certification. It’s about Primary Energy Renewable. And …
Visiting The House, a giant NYC Passive House housing complex
There’s so much to see in New York City, including lots of certified Passive House buildings. Here’s another side trip I did during last year’s family holiday. The House is a 26-storey apartment building on Roosevelt Island, housing 352 rental apartments for Cornell Tech students, faculty and staff. It was the world’s largest certified Passive House building when it was …
What’s to like in the MBIE H1 consultation document?
After painstakingly researching, consulting on and citing improvements to thermal performance in the NZ Building Code for years, MBIE was directed by its incoming minister to investigate rolling back changes. Chris Penk cited anecdotes from a couple of Tauranga group home builders that more insulation was causing overheating as his rationale, all while banging on the housing shortage drum. In …
H1 insulation requirements are not expensive
How much cost does upgraded insulation required under the revised H1 add to a new build? Much less than anecdotal figures bandied about in the media, according to some solid research released last month. “EBOSS and New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB), with design input from Architects Designgroup Stapleton Elliott (DGSE), teamed up with quantity surveying firm YourQS to put real …
Wellington Passive House meet up
The Wellington chapter of PHINZ is hosting a social event on 3 December at the Southern Cross hotel. No presentations or talks, just a relaxed drink with friends and like-minded people. If you’re interested in Passive House (either as a professional or a home owner), this is a great chance to chat to architects, designers, tradies and other homeowners. The …