Keith Huntington of EcoRate Ltd is a registered architect involved in passive solar design and the objective analysis of buildings using thermal simulation modelling.
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Keith Huntington of EcoRate Ltd is a registered architect involved in passive solar design and the objective analysis of buildings using thermal simulation modelling.
Following on from last month’s general thoughts, I consider that there is an urgent need, as an important part of adapting for the future, for the building industry to go back to basics and revaluate the unquestioned assumptions upon which standard design and construction solutions were originally derived from.
While Climate Change is now accepted by most people, the solutions are not as simple as just giving everyone the symbolic electric car or bicycle. As the TV advert advises, “Good Things Take Time”, but also innovative forward planning is essential.
Compliance with NZ Building Code clause H1 (Energy Efficiency) is straightforward for new builds, but for alterations to existing homes it is more complicated and can give unexpected results.
For some time now, it has become settled that there is sense in planning for a future where photovoltaic (PV) panels will become a standard feature for new homes and major renovations, even though many owners are not prepared to install them ‘next week’.
Because of their high thermal mass, the thermal insulation of concrete and concrete block walls in dwellings needs to be treated quite differently to those with lightweight framed or panel walls.
The recently released Climate Change Commission’s draft report for public consultation speaks of the need to reduce the domestic use of natural gas and LPG. This, and the inevitable depletion of the resource, will need to influence the way we design the water heating systems for our dwellings.
With New Zealand’s commitment to Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050, the built infrastructure sector of the economy will have a significant part to play if the target is to be met. The Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 illustrates the need for lateral thinking.
The process of designing and selecting insulation materials for the thermal envelope of a building is not a simple task.
Heat Pumps are now well established as a heating source for the home which suits family life as it has been for the last decades, but will they have the same dominance following the disruptive game-changer of Covid-19?
‘Shovel-Ready’ is the adjective of the moment, but is it to be a 2019 descriptor or a 2021 descriptor? This will be important in 20 years time when the decisions about to be made will be well cemented in.
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