Adapting your building or specifying habits to MBIE’s ‘Clause H1 – Energy Efficiency’ is easier when you appreciate how it will increase the quality of New Zealand’s homes. And it’s easier still when you know there’s an insulation product that lets you achieve or exceed new standards in any New Zealand climate zone.

The need for energy-efficient buildings

MBIE’s Building for Climate Change provisions were established in 2020 to help the building and construction sector achieve its contribution to New Zealand’s emissions reduction targets.

Specifically, Clause H1 will make new homes and buildings warmer, drier and healthier, with less impact on the climate. The new provisions represent the biggest changes in over a decade to energy efficiency requirements in the NZ Building Code.

What are the main changes for roof and walls?

• New climate zones: The changes introduce six new climate zones to reflect the specific weather experienced in different parts of New Zealand. Insulation requirements are prescribed for each zone.
• Thermal bridging: The recognition of thermal bridging impacts, where insulation effectiveness is compromised through heat loss or gain through building elements and penetrations, is a vital step in improving the overall performance of building envelopes.

Kingspan helps you to achieve new standards — and beyond

Kingspan is a global leader in the development and supply of high-performance building envelope technologies and systems. Kingspan's acquisition of Thermakraft in late 2021 means they can offer proven, innovative integrated insulation and building membrane systems. Using Kingspan's systems makes it easy to meet the required changes. In fact, they allow you to achieve international best practice levels without compromising ease-of-build and cost effectiveness.

Kooltherm is your secret weapon

Kingspan Kooltherm is a closed cell phenolic insulation with exceptional insulation and fire performance properties. Thickness for thickness, Kooltherm dramatically outperforms glasswool and other bulk insulations. It achieves a product R value of 2.5 at just 50mm.

Kooltherm has exceptional fire performance, demonstrating low flame spread and smoke emission. Since it is a thermoset material, it hardens and chars in fire situations, giving off very little smoke; unlike thermoplastics, such as polystyrene which melt, soften, and give off thick black smoke.

Used either internally or externally, Kooltherm is ideal for use as a continuous insulation to mitigate thermal bridging and achieve NZ compliance and above. It does this without necessitating adjustments to frame thicknesses or truss heights.

Lightweight and easy to install, Kooltherm products are easy to handle on site without the need for huge piles of insulation bales.

Kingspan is ready to support your move to H1 energy efficiency standards. To find out more, visit kingspaninsulation.co.nz or call 0800 806 595.