New energy performance standards are seeing brand-new homes becoming warmer and drier than ever before.
The H1 energy performance standards, which set higher standards for insulation, glazing and airtightness in New Zealand homes compared to earlier years, have now bedded in, meaning new homes built over the past 20 months need to comply.
Home buyers can really feel the difference with the new standards, said Stephen Hape, a building consultant at Classic Builders.
“Homes are now so airtight and warm that heat pumps are used less, especially in the winter,” said Hape, who is based in Rotorua.
Start your property search
Houses designed to the H1 standards provide homeowners with a more comfortable living environment and consistent temperature, reduced heating and cooling costs, lower energy bills, and homes that are prepared for future sustainable upgrades.
“Many clients who previously lived in older homes say they’ve moved from places with no insulation, where they had to wipe down windows to remove moisture, to warm, dry, quiet homes with better insulation,” said Hape. “They say their power bills are lower than when they rented or lived in older homes.”
Hape said he’d had a run of new homeowners in his patch of Rotorua who had only lived in older homes and said it was a daily event at their previous homes, wiping moisture off their windows or using a Karcher Window Vac to suck up all the excess moisture.
“They tell us when they move into their new home that it’s nice, warm, dry and quiet because there’s so much insulation.”
The H1 standard came into being on May 1, 2023, and requires that all new residential homes under 300sqm meet higher wall, floor and roof insulation energy performance standards.
The walls have higher rated insulation and ceilings now have two layers of insulation in the central areas, said Hape. The standard also covers glazing, and Classic Builders’ new homes all have Low-E film, said Hape.
Low-E (low-emissivity) film is a thin, transparent coating applied to windows to improve energy efficiency by reducing heat transfer. It works by reflecting infrared (heat) energy while allowing visible light to pass through, helping to keep indoor spaces cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. It reduces heat loss or gain, blocks UV rays and lowers energy bills.
Although not covered by the H1 standards, heat recovery systems such as DVS or SmartVent are popular with some investor clients. “Some landlords are used to having them in older homes and continue to install them.”
The H1 standards are a significant leap forward towards more energy-efficient and comfortable homes. They add cost to building, but they benefit homeowners as well by reducing the costs of running the home.
There are clients who want to go over and above the H1 standards when building their new homes, said Hape.
“Some people like that extra bit more, such as insulating the internal walls and installing ducted heat pumps that heat and cool all the bedrooms and living areas all at once. Some request cork flooring for sustainability. Or they request specific adhesives. Others explore sustainable cladding options like cedar.”
Not all clients can afford what they’d like to do in an ideal world, and the absolute number of people who go above and beyond H1 standards is low. “We all want sustainability in our homes, but it comes at a cost,” said Hape.
“Only about 5% invest in additional sustainability features. With today’s build prices, sustainability sometimes drops off the bottom, and we settle for what we’re comfortable with for now. But the numbers have increased over the past five years.”
Classic Builders future-proofs the building so that clients can add solar or other energy-efficient features later when their budgets allow, said Hape.
“Sustainability is important, but cost is a barrier. For example, we future-proof homes by ensuring roofs have extra fixings that can support solar panels, providing spaces for EV chargers, and including energy-efficient appliances.”
Hape said he is enjoying working with a client currently who is especially interested in sustainable features for their new home.
“With every product, they are asking how sustainable it is. They are true greenies and are going in-depth with every product, asking where every product comes from. They’re the most in-depth clients I’ve ever had when it comes to sustainability.”
