“A two-year-old born prematurely with a chronic lung condition has been hospitalised multiple times this year. Part of the problem is that the child is sleeping on a damp mattress…” Replacing the mattress is great but the new one will get damp as well due to the poor design of our homes. It is not the occupants fault. Yes there …
08 July 2019 Stuff’s Ellen O’Dwyer: Cold and ill but bill puts heat pump off limits
-3C – barely insulated house and no heating. The cost of electricity and line charges in that area is wild but so is running a unflued portable propane heater inside your home. “The house has a heat pump, but Jack and Sylvia, both 82 years old, can’t afford to use it.” “In May, the cost for their lines exceeded the …
29 June 2019 Otago Daily Times’ Kim Dungey: Homely as it gets
Great article on the Hawera Passive House build that is the first in New Zealand to target the Passive House Premium build. We are looking forward to reviewing the final documentation and, if they meet the standard, awarding them the first Passive House Premium certification. Great team with a well designed home and we wish them well. View Case Study …
2019 June 19 New Energy Economy: World’s First Certified Passive House Car Dealership
This building is pretty incredible. Most Passive House buildings can change the form (the external shape) and use less glass to meet the performance standard, but that wasn’t an option for this building: it has to look a certain way to meet the car franchise requirements. It’s also built in a cold climate, with winters dropping down to -11C. The …
PH Window Installs
Window installs watch Florian and Skyler install a Passive House window into a home. Notice the good explanation of the aluminium cut back distance to allow over insulation of the aluminium clad timber frame. uPVC social housing installs with winbag tool. Sometimes different ways of doing things can just strike you at how quick and efficient they can appear.
Certified Passive House design required for Queenstown Luggate Memorial Hall
Although this media release doesn’t mention it the Queenstown Lakes District Council has been methodically reviewing the costs and benefits of Passive House for some time. After this review and discussion with industry experts the business case for certified Passive House was recommended to council and successfully made it through the Council decision making process. Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) …
Why don’t owners improve their homes? Results from a survey following a housing warrant‐of‐fitness assessment for health and safety
Paper in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health by Elinor Chisholm Michael Keall Julie Bennett Anaru Marshall Lucy Telfar‐Barnard Louise Thornley Philippa Howden‐Chapman Bottom line – even when folks know that their house is making them sick and the fix is easy/cheap they do not do so unless motivated by some other means. Even if it is …
10 April 2019 Passive Houses in New Zealand: Let’s talk details
Scala Seminar Series Hosted by the disciplines of Landscape Architecture & Architecture, Unitec Institute of Technology invites you to bring your lunch and attend a free public seminar on Thurs 16th May, 2019, 12.30-1.30pm Passive Houses in New Zealand: Lets talk details by Jason Quinn Director, Sustainable Engineering Ltd Our performance based code is almost a myth in the practical …
29 March 2019 Stuff’s Hamis McNeilly: Former refugee family placed in damp Dunedin home feels abandoned
You would think this is rare and something that you need to go looking for but it is not abnormal in NZ The windows of the North East Valley flat stay open all day – and night – just to clear the smell which lingers in the home.” “That smell is likely caused by the rising damp, which left the carpets sodden …