Very excited to see the New Zealand Zero Carbon Bill passed … unanimously. Didn’t expect that but I’m very pleased. We know that buildings can contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions. Key to making that happen are deep changes in the building code and finding incentives for deep retrofits. Reaching zero carbon is going to take society-wide changes. The building …
Sustainable Engineering just purchased the first license for new modelling software, districtPH. This was developed in Germany by Passive House International with funding from the EU. Think of it as PHPP for neighbourhoods. It enables simulations of energy use and interactions across a district or even an entire region, modelling not just the energy use of buildings, but any infrastructure …
This is the second in a series of articles put out by Prefab NZ. Good to see the references to performance, as well as off-site construction. I think prefabrication could significantly enable higher performance homes: better in terms of health, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, carbon and speed of construction. “High-Performing Homes Building smarter can also mean building healthy, warm, …
The Public Health Summer School symposium on 11 February will be eye-opening and I recommend you attend. This is the team that made the Healthy Home Guidelines a political reality and now they have turned their attention to fixing the Building Code, exploring the mutual benefits that flow from designing for energy efficiency, carbon mitigation and health. I attended the …
“But how much will it cost?”. Anyone involved with Passive Houses hears that question a lot. Ross Brown of eHaus reckons an extra 20%, according to this article. I’ve also heard clients say their house cost the same as their neighbour’s. My favourite answer is, ‘It depends’. Then I go on to say, 5-15% more. Why the huge range? Well, …
Chapman Tripp – Legal opinion – October 2019 This is pretty intense when you realise the implications of this legal opinion. Directors of companies and/or investment schemes have a ‘legal duty of care’ to the price in climate-related financial risk. This applies in the case where a business directly depends on the climate itself, like farming, as well as a …
Profitable carbon savings through better buildings … it’s a strategy we hear about more and more. I love hearing all these policy options: but I hope that the changes proposed are big steps that focus on achieving zero carbon by 2050 and not short-term reductions focused on say, 30 per cent by 2030. We must avoid “locking-in” carbon emissions by …
In my opinion, the energy provisions in H1 are not fit for purpose. As Kylie Mills writes, “To make buildings better … the quickest way is for regulations to change.” She goes on to quote Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC): “Improved energy performance of buildings presents a win-win-win opportunity, reducing stress on the electricity network, offering bill savings, supporting …
Cool list of 10 types of buildings that are certified passive houses that you might not consider as ‘houses’. Remember the standard is an energy performance and quality standard and can apply to ANY building type. I’m sure there is a Yoga Studio and Spa in the works somewhere. Would love to see NZ step up to a Certified Passive …
