Category: Insulation
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How 475 can help you achieve a high performance home
So, you’ve decided you’d like a really good home. One that’s comfortable, healthy and energy efficient. That’s great, but unfortunately it’s not (yet) standard practice. Hopefully you can find a good designer to help (try this list if you like). But you’ll also need some good, non-standard products. This week I spoke with Ken Levenson…
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Concrete Slab Edge Insulation Update
Updated: See my updated list at the end of this article for currently available products for slab edge, perimeter insulation. BRANZ recently released their fifth edition of the House Insulation Guide. Changes in this edition include ‘waffle pod’ concrete slab systems, and a concrete slab edge insulation update. I discussed the importance of insulating the edge of…
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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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Starting a Home Renovation
Adrian Feasey has worked as a solar consultant and is establishing himself now as a home performance consultant. New Zealand definitely needs more home performance consultants to help improve the standard of our houses. And raising the standard of his own home is one of Adrian’s current projects. A Weatherboard Villa in Birkdale Adrian and…
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Energy Efficient Homes with Dean Buckeridge
Dean Buckeridge has been designing energy efficient homes for nearly two decades. Along with Russell Devlin, and now also Bob Burnett, I’ve regarded Dean for long time as one of the prominent house designers in Christchurch who has been leading the way in good, solar design. It was a privilege to talk with Dean and…
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Go Green Expo
Who’s going to the Go Green Expo? I just had a quick Skype chat with Operations Manager, Damien Hochberg about why he created the expo and what it’s all about. Unfortunately this means that my blog posts are a bit out of order (I’m yet to write up my interview with Mark R LePage from…
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How to have a warm home and no power bills in Christchurch
Chris McKay and his family were forced to leave their home in Christchurch after the Canterbury earthquakes in 2011. Like many others, they were faced with the task of finding a new home and they chose to start from scratch and to build. Early on the process, they decided they wanted to have a warm…
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Improving Home Performance with Curtains
How important are curtains when it comes to improving the performance of your home? Curtains and Curtain Tracks As Chad Keven from Heavy Duty Curtains explains, it’s not just about the drapes, the curtain track that supports the curtain can also play a big role in improving the insulation properties. The alternative to a track…
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Using Design Navigator to Calculate R-Value and Check for Code Compliance
When creating a building design, how do you calculate the R-Value of building elements and check the design for code compliance? As Albrecht Stoecklein, creator of Design Navigator describes, getting this right in construction design can be tricky. Albrecht Stoecklein is a building physicist and has an Energy Management Diploma as well as vast experience…
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ZETA Design + Build Modular Homes
ZETA Design + Build produce modular homes and buildings inside a factory. A great video on their website is probably the best way to see just how they’re revolutionising the manufacturing process of buildings and building modules. Howard Koenig, Chief Executive Officer ZETA Design + Build It’s telling that Howard Koenig, CEO of ZETA Design…