“Government regulation will be needed to achieve net-zero carbon buildings says architectural engineering professor Larry Bellamy.” Let’s hope those regulations are good ones that take building physics into account and don’t allow system-wide poor choices. I push energy efficiency every day—it’s what I do—but increased energy efficiency requires better building practices, not just stuffing in more insulation. Read more on …
Paying utility bills is a stretch for many New Zealand households. As we move to a low-carbon economy, a raft of measures may be necessary to ensure that energy costs do not weigh more heavily on those already financially burdened. Analysis using the Household Economic Survey, an annual survey run by Stats NZ that measures the economic wellbeing of New …
80-90% heating energy reduction (well for those that could afford to heat their homes) saves energy, CO2 and costs less over the lifespan of the building than building to the legally required minimum (i.e. code). Passive House Pools (Passivhaus) are being built in the UK and were measured to save 70% of the heating energy costs (electricity) in the first …
Several parties in the NZ high-performance building sector have been working on big meaningful changes to the way we build and all of us agree the winning combination is to change the building code. NZGBC is the biggest player in this sector and it is awesome to see their target. “To ensure zero carbon buildings in Aotearoa, the Government must …
This is a significant reduction in trips to the hospital for children. I wish we had an easy way to price this into building standards and made our buildings better at the start. “The Healthy Homes service is anticipated to avert approximately $30 million in health care costs over three years, and the predicted return on investment for funded HHI …
The owner of Mona Vale’s former Stable Master’s Cottage got carried away when he visited Christchurch four years ago – he fell in love with an “as is, where is” house and bought it on a whim. “I bought it in a moment of madness,” he says. “It had moderate damage. It was a double-brick house with no timber framing to …
Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) endorsed an ultra-low energy ‘Passive House’ concept for the new hall late last year. Since then, Council officers have been working to turn this aspiration into a detailed project plan for what may well be one of the first community facilities built and certified to Passive House standard anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand. Richard Pope …
“Perhaps most disappointing for building professionals were responses about the impact of green building on the environment, people, and communities. “Only 11% of respondents associate words like ‘green building’ and ‘green space’ with creating an environment in which people live longer and healthier lives. This is far below other phrases, which people do associate with the environment—like recycling (45%), water …
“A house with leaking and damaged gutters, rotting window frames, illegal stairs, a sagging and mouldy ceiling, rotting weatherboards, a rotten toilet floor and exposed electrical board have earned a stiff penalty for the landlords who rented it out.” “Landlords Ross and Sally Craigie must pay tenant Bjana Thompson $13,020.44 for breaching the Residential Tenancies Act by failing to maintain …
