Does anyone know how to participate in these reviews? Seems like a good way to try and fix the new ‘code compliant’ builds going up that are moulding and not performing well. “BIE and Standards NZ have been working collaboratively to agree on the prioritisation of Standards to be reviewed in the year July 2019 to June 2020. Priority has …
“The Government’s existing home insulation programme and the new healthy homes standards have been warmly welcomed, but they’re not enough. Hundreds of thousands of New Zealand owner occupied homes will remain cold and damp because they will never be reached by these schemes.” “If all New Zealand homes were warm, dry, and energy efficient, New Zealanders would save hundreds of …
It is interesting to me that the feature rated most essential is ‘Warm and dry’ which actually was higher rated than ‘Within budget’. A bit sad that folks buying homes have almost no tools to know if will actually be warm and dry. “The survey found most Kiwis prioritise safety and security over luxury features when it comes to choosing …
For those of us designing Passive House we can all rejoice in the release of the official PHI guidance on kitchen extractor hoods and how to consider the heat losses in their use. To my knowledge there is reason to believe that a good recirculating hood can be better than a poorly performing extractor hood in removing fine particles. I’m …
Monday 13th May 2019 NZ Parliament signed into law the Healthy Homes Standard. This effectively requires bringing the ceiling and underfloor insulation up to current standards, install fixed heating in the living room and extractor fans in the kitchen/bath except where these upgrades are not practical. Several good articles including: Healthy Homes standards legislation signed off into law …
“As cold weather starts to bite, it’s also the time of year when people are most at risk from poor air quality. Environment Southland air quality scientist Owen West said winter is the time when poor air quality is an issue in Southland, particularly in the urban areas of Invercargill and Gore, with home burners identified as the key cause.” …
What’s the absolute legal minimum in NZ – no worse or legally it’s not a house. For new buildings it is whatever your team can sneak past council under the guise of meeting the NZBC minimums but at least someone is checking something. For existing buildings what is the minimum? Hope you don’t consider NZ Building Code a target. Landlords …
The Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, designed to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to under 1.5C over the next 30 years, was introduced to New Zealand Parliament on 8th of May, 2019. Science Media Centre sought expert response: Associate Professor Ivan Diaz-Rainey, Climate and Energy Finance Group, University of Otago, comments: “What we need now are policies. Policies …
