PHPP matches quite well for monthly heating and cooling energy demand when compared to lots of dynamic energy modelling software tools. And it should, as the equations/methods in PHPP have been developed (and simplified) by reference to many dynamic simulations. The bar graph comparing the monthly heating and cooling energy demand has the PHPP as the rightmost bar. Note that …
Calculating building system shutdowns in PHPP
It’s common for some non-residential buildings to be unoccupied for periods of time, during which the ventilation and conditioning is turned off. Schools and office buildings are common examples; think of after school hours each day or weekends where heating/cooling may be on only for 6 hours each day. In such circumstances, turning off ventilation and conditioning during the unoccupied …
World’s biggest Passive House office rises in Boston
Sometimes I take a look to see what’s going on in Massachusetts, just for old times sake. And look at this: the Winthrop Center is a Boston high-rise that will be the largest Passive House office building in the world. It’s a 211m high mixed-use tower with 75,000m2 of office space and 317 luxury residences, among other facilities. I’ve worked on …
Remove regulators’ liability and we might see more innovation in the building sector
Writing for The Spinoff recently, NZGBC head Andrew Eagles takes to task the Commerce Commission’s findings into competition in the residential building supplies market. “Not only does our industry suffer from a reliance on the ‘tried and tested’, but this conservativism is backed by a risk structure that incentivises our building officials to be wary of anything new. Products commonplace …
Make comfort a goal of any renovation
“Yeah, our old housing stock is terrible, but modern homes are all good.” It’s disheartening how often I hear this, about newly built homes constructed to only just meet the legal minimum of the NZ Building Code. It’s not true. And expensive retrofits can be miserable too, unless they have been designed (and modelled) to ensure comfort. Steve Hughes, from …
(Thermally) break that steel
Graeme Jacobs is the Director at Jacobs & Munro Architects Limited and he recently posted about an elegant solution his firm sourced in order to create a thermal break in a steel ridge. The walls and roof in this project are Formance SIP and the steel ridge beam is fully inside of the thermal envelope (as I’d recommend) … except …
Retrofits for energy efficiency must accelerate to meet zero carbon deadline
Imagine: being able to model an entire city’s energy use—or the whole country!—just like you can a single building in PHPP. This is what districtPH does. Bland name for an exciting tool that enables extremely significant outcomes. The model shows how global changes to the building stock impact energy usage and thus carbon emissions over long time spans. It’s been …
Sea level rise mapping
When we design and construct buildings to perform better—that is, to use much less energy—they become better quality and more durable. If you are building for the long term, think about the next generations who will be sheltered there. Consider sea level rise—both how it will impact your chosen site and also the roads that provide access to it. NZ …
Energy-efficient homes sell for more in Aus
“Australia’s energy-efficient houses are commanding premium prices, with buyers spending 17 per cent more to get into a sustainable home.” That’s the Sydney Morning Herald leading its article with a punch. It goes on to say, “Energy-efficient homes attract more buyer interest, sell faster, and fetch higher prices, a new report shows, and the median price for a sustainable house …