Craft Homes Ask, "Are Passive Houses the Next Big Step for NZ"?

In the following article, Craft Homes, passive home builders, look at passive housing in New Zealand, and how they could provide the answer to New Zealand’s reputation for cold houses without central heating.  As Elrond Burrell of the Passive House Institute NZ says,

“there is a quality deficit in our housing in New Zealand, and that unfortunately has dire health implications for our communities."

Passive house is a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. The standard is not confined to residential properties; several office buildings, schools, kindergartens and a supermarket have also been constructed to the standard. Passive design is not an attachment or supplement to architectural design, but a design process that integrates with architectural design. Although it is principally applied to new buildings, it has also been used for refurbishments.

To qualify as a passive house a combination of passive natural ventilation systems and mechanical heat recovery ventilation systems can be used, dependent on the climate of the building's surrounding environment. Passive houses are airtight. The strategy of a Passive House is to reuse "free" heat to heat the home. The stale air leaving the house is carrying the "free" heat. It goes through the heat recovery ventilator, and transfers the heat, to the incoming fresh air, before it leaves the building.

The Passive House Institute New Zealand (PHINZ) is an Incorporated Charitable Trust, and their mission is to increase the awareness of the benefits and opportunities of high-performance buildings based on the Passive House Standard, through research, education and building industry engagement.

Passive House is a fabric-first approach to achieving healthy and comfortable buildings, a clearly defined standard and a quality management system that produces buildings that deliver on all aspects of occupant well-being while consuming very little energy. There is no longer a need to burn fossil fuels to power the spaces where we live, work and play.

Having recently attended the 5th Passive House Conference and Trade Show, Craft Homes’ Director, Toby Tilsley said, “The conference left me feeling hopeful that the future is bright for increased building standards in New Zealand.” You too can become part of New Zealand’s movement towards healthier, energy efficient homes, so for more information on home builders NZ and passive homes NZ please go to https://www.crafthomes.co.nz .