Today we have it: the new H1 has been released. I no longer need to keep it all secret and can finally talk about the new energy efficiency requirements. Note there is a year’s lag before these come into effect (“adjustment period”). Just get on with it, I say to the heel-draggers. As MBIE says, “the changes go as far …
Airtightness results in NZ PH builds keep improving
The Leith Valley Passive House in Dunedin is New Zealand’s newest certified Passive House Plus home and can boast of an extraordinary blower door test result: 0.17 air changes per house (ACH) as measured by the final blower door test. Builder Wayne Dyet (WD Homes) is a competitive man with an amazing eye for detail and he’s determined to construct …
Gone in 60 mins
Wow. The scale of this Irish development is immense: 219 Passive House homes planned across a 26-acre site in Belfast, a £70m project . The first 12 houses released for sale sold in less than a hour. A further nine are about to be offered, completing the first release. These homes are expected to be completed mid-2022. We’ve one builder/developer …
Passive House homes make for happy families
Wonderful article from Stuff on the Sole Family Passivhaus in Christchurch. The Soles built a well-above-Code home about 10 years previously, but decided to go all the way on this, their forever home. Our case study has all the technical detail. Great to read that that the Soles are happy with their home, which “Nadia says is functioning ‘exactly how …
Passive House is totally achievable (and worth it)
This is a stand-out article from San Francisco Bay area Passive House builders, One Sky Homes. These guys are the real deal, coming to Passive House over a decade ago already having considerable experience in zero-energy, green builds. They now have a great deal of expertise in designing and building single family Passive House homes in California … and their …
Westpac get behind Raglan PH build
An in-depth Passive House case study … from a major bank? Good to see Westpac recognising the value of Passive House certification and providing finance for this Raglan project. This off-grid Passive House home is for owner/builders Toby and Catriona Tilsley and their two young kids. The Tilsleys run a sustainable building company, Craft Homes. Their new home in Raglan …
SIP build a good PH option
“How much space do you need? Do you need a TV room, a rumpus room, a dining room, and a living room? New Zealand is an amazing country: get out of your house, get in amongst it.” That’s James Clarke talking (English builder and owner of NZSIP), and as a fellow immigrant, I have to agree. First rule of “eco-homes”: …
Ngā Kāinga Anamata announced
Kāinga Ora’s first Passive House pilot project was a great milestone but we knew far more was in the works and today we are happy to be able to share the news. Ngā Kāinga Anamata, previously known as the Five Systems Project, is five three-story apartment buildings in Glendowie, all designed to reach Passive House performance. Sustainable Engineering Ltd is …
Passive House subdivision in Christchurch blazes a trail
Interesting perspective here on materials from an experienced builder of certified Passive Houses. Peter Bielski of Ethos Homes is a fan of panelisation—in a shed on site, in the case of the ambitious and inspiring 11-home Passive House neighbourhood he is currently involved with in Christchurch. His post lists the reasons why he likes prefab timber panels and prefers them …