From time to time there are calls from various interest groups advocating that their section of the New Zealand Building Code needs to be updated or revised, including Clause H1 (Energy Efficiency).

With the growing acceptance that we must be much more clever with our use of the world’s non-renewable resources, we are well past the time when we can rely on long-standing assumptions, short-term thinking, and Green-wash. Objective assessments are urgently needed.

There are many products in the market each promoting their individual thermal performance, but when incorporated into a building the actual ‘real-life,’ performance becomes dependent upon the interaction of all the materials and products used in the construction.

While in the normal course of events, most newly constructed homes in an urban setting can achieve a 6 Homestar rating, if there is an aspiration for higher ratings, then there is value in looking at where points can be gained at an early stage in the design process. 

The results of a simple experiment to demonstrate the value of well-fitted curtains.

As an incentive to sustainable housing, in mid-April the ANZ Bank announced that it is offering reductions to some of its interest rates and fees, subject to particular conditions, if the property being financed has a minimum Homestar rating of 6 stars.

It is coming to be accepted that there is a personal and, to a lesser extent, a national benefit in having energy generation and water collection within the family home, but the conversation has not yet extended to applying this thinking to a co-operative community setting.

When reviewing advertisements and promotional materials it appears that photovoltaic (PV) solar panels are promoted, with solar water panels being essentially ignored — why?

The thermal performance of a house is determined by the complex interaction of a variety of major influences. With higher performance being desired, and demanded, it becomes more important that an objective measure is used for an assessment to be meaningful.

When designing buildings for thermal performance, which criteria should dominate when it comes to the selection of building materials?