Category: Fundamentals
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136: Thermal Mass Is Not That Useful
I recall visiting one of the fist 8 Homestar homes in Christchurch and being surprised that this new show home had a suspended timber floor. The double layer of insulation gave the floor a very impressive R-value, far better than any concrete floor slab I’d seen recently. All well-and-good, I thought. But thermally, surely it couldn’t be…
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124: A Deeper Shade of Green
Want to create a passive solar, healthy, energy and water efficient home with your existing house? Get access to Johann for a three part workshop at a ridiculously low price! Spots are limited so register now! Dr Johann Bernhardt originally came to New Zealand, expecting to stay for a year. That was about 30 years…
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Passive House vs Homestar
What’s the difference between Passive House and Homestar? There are many different systems out there, all offering slightly different outcomes. Passive House vs Homestar If your main objective is warmth, health and low energy bills, this aligns well with the purpose of Passive House (Passivhaus). Energy, health and comfort are about half of Homestar. The…
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119: Green Home Building
Kelly Hart is an amazing thinker and innovator. He’s passionate about the environment and generous with the resources and learning he shares. Notes for the episode are to come. In the meantime, here’s what you need to know: Green Home Building Kelly Hart’s amazing hub of resources and links: GreenHomeBuilding.com Source of alternative house plans: DreamGreenHomes…
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Homestar Mandatory Minimums
The Homestar mandatory minimums are a series of benchmarks that have to be achieved in order to progress up the Homestar scale. They’re important because if they are are not achieved, your score will be held back. So what are the Homestar mandatory minimums, and how can you achieve them? What are @HomestarNZ mandatory minimums…
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Where do you start a sustainable house?
So, you know you want a sustainable (healthy, efficient, affordable and desirable) home, but where do you start? I’ve covered the fundamentals of what makes a good energy efficient home, but these are details. What’s the big picture? Where do you start a sustainable house? Start with ‘Why?’ In episode 91, Glenn Murdoch spoke about…
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Map Wrap Gaps Taps and Apps
Over the last few years, I’ve developed this model for good home design: Map, wrap, gaps, taps and apps. A model for good home design: Map, wrap, gaps, taps and apps. Click To Tweet Map Map was an obvious (albeit later) addition to the original model. Good design starts with location. This is about where you…
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Sustainability Options
Phil and Nik Gregg run Sustainability Options, an ‘altruistic business’ that aims to work for the benefit of others in their community. When I first had the pleasure of meeting the brothers last year, I was slightly confused and also inspired by their commitment to return 85% of their profits to charity and community in…
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EcoBuild 2014 Ben Adam-Smith’s Learning from Year 1
Ben Adam-Smith first appeared on Home Style Green back in episode 17, almost a year ago. After this, I was inspired and motivated by what Ben is doing and wanted to stay in touch. So I did. Now he’s back to share his learning from year 1. Ben and I have chatted nearly every week…
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Good Homes
We pretty much know what’s in them, but where are all the good homes in New Zealand? And what is it specifically that makes them good? A common response from a survey I posted recently, was that people want to know about other people who have designed and built ‘good homes‘, and how they did…