998 days to reach climate change reduction goals

The latest IPCC report emphasises that we have to peak our CO2 emissions by 2025 at the latest to reach 1.5 degrees global warming, to follow those rational paths that...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Lazy overglazing is causing expensive problems

What is it with glass? Buildings in Australia and New Zealand tend to be over-glazed. Is it because huge windows look good in the renders and are a quick go-to...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Apr 2022

  • Technical Notes
    /
Read More

Student skimp on food to pay rent on cold, mouldy flats

Radio New Zealand has really done an excellent job of summarising the plight of New Zealand university students—all in less than four minutes. Listen here, to hear how bad it...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Think twice about that wood burner

I still surprise Passive House folk when I point out it’s better to use a heat pump than a wood burning fireplace for heating. It’s better for their clients’ health,...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Apr 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Cold bedrooms make people sick

I know folks who still argue for not heating bedrooms. They love kids but just refuse to believe the research. Cold bedrooms make kids more likely to be sick with...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Passive House for my mom

Awesome to see Architecture New Zealand linking to this great video primer on Passive House from Dave Borlace, who publishes a channel on climate and sustainable energy on You Tube....

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

First Bushland Park homes certified, go up for auction

The certification of 8 and 10 Bushland Place is a milestone the entire Passive House community in New Zealand should celebrate. These are the first certified Passive House homes to...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

UK progress on Passive House

The UK is way ahead of New Zealand in terms of numbers of certified Passive House buildings so it’s certainly instructive to see what we can learn. A recent article...

by ike saniel

Updated: Mar 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Passive House social housing transformative for NYC tenants

Passive House social housing in New York City is taking off, according to this Guardian feature story. Two things stand out: the extent of the uptake (dozens of affordable Passive...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Evaluating embodied carbon of solar panels

Elementa Consulting has released a very easy to follow report on a very complex topic: how good are PV panels and what matters when you consider their embodied carbon? The...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Carbon budget modelled for NZ new builds and existing stock

This is an excellent paper on modelling the carbon emitted by New Zealand homes during construction and use against the IPCC 1.5 degree emission targets. The authors follow population weighting...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

  • Technical Notes
    /
Read More

Time for deep retrofits

MBIE’s Building for Climate Change programme is going to drive greater energy efficiency in new buildings. Among other things, it will introduce actual performance modeling for New Zealand buildings. This...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Feb 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Luggate Hall delayed

It’s a shame to hear about delays in construction to Luggate Hall but supply chain issues are a huge issue across the industry. Delays in shipping the Passive House certified...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Feb 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Zero-energy building sector vital to addressing climate change

Buildings have a big role in addressing climate change. This nice and short technical paper shows how reducing consumption is the only way to address climate change that does not...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Finally, NZ new homes are shrinking

Happy news in this thoughtful article from Stuff about why the average new dwelling is getting smaller in New Zealand. (How it’s getting smaller is obvious: smaller stand-alone homes but...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Feb 2022

  • General Notes
    /
Read More

Fuel poverty harms mental health too

Living in a cold house you can’t afford to heat causes physical health problems, up to and including premature death. There’s plenty of evidence supporting this and I’m grateful to...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

  • Technical Notes
    /
Read More

Free thermal bridge modelling training

If you’re working on Homestar V5 projects, this free webinar is for you. (It’s also ideal for all those newly qualified Passive House designers!) Sustainable Engineering’s Jason Quinn is teaching...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Feb 2022

  • Current Events
    /
Read More

Why Passive House costs more

If you’ve met Christchurch Passive House builder Peter Bielski, you’ll know he’s a man of few and well-chosen words, not minced. His company is involved in an ambitious project to...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

  • Technical Notes
    /
Read More