Building a sustainable future

As more and more Kiwis make the shift to a sustainable approach to living, Climate Leaders Coalition Signatory, the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), and the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) reflect on the difference sustainable homes can make to the quality of life, energy and emissions, and a home's value.

Despite Kiwis facing the ongoing challenges and uncertainty of a global pandemic, our commitment to sustainability is only continuing to grow. The recent 2022 Kantar Better Futures report found even in this challenging context, New Zealanders' personal commitment to living sustainably continues to track upwards, with 43% of Kiwis committed to living a sustainable lifestyle.

It's a trend that extends to real estate, as more Kiwis seek sustainable housing options.

"Housing is absolutely central to our quality of life," says Mike Burrell, Executive Director at Sustainable Business Council (SBC).

"Poor performing homes that are cold, damp or difficult to heat, contribute to the health issues of those who live in them whilst also having a significant impact on our energy consumption and emissions."

NZGBC Chief Executive Andrew Eagles agrees.

"If we want to improve the health of New Zealanders in Aotearoa, reduce the cost of living for whanau, drastically improve power grid resilience, and lower our carbon emissions — it all starts at home."

Home is where the heat is

A typical new Kiwi home emits five times too much carbon to stay within two degrees of warming. That's the homes being built right now, and to the less ambitious two degrees target. Part of that is the construction pollution and materials, but also poor performance brought about by low insulation standards and inefficient systems.

"People often associated sustainable homes with flash solar arrays on the roof, but the reality is it's much better to ensure your home stays warm and dry and actually uses electricity efficiently first," Andrew says.

The rise of sustainable homes

Five years ago, the number of new homes built to the Green Building Council's Homestar system, which rates the health, efficiency, and sustainability of homes, was between 400 and 500 per year.

In the last financial year, that number was closer to 6,000 homes thanks to the likes of Bupa, Fletcher Living, Kāinga Ora and others building to Homestar on their developments.

"With 49,000 consents issued last year, it also equates to over 12% of the new homes being built, a trend we are certainly only expecting to continue to grow over the next few years," says Andrew.

"2022 is a critical year for climate in New Zealand, with the delivery of our first Emissions Reduction Plan and National Adaptation Plan aiming to reduce our emissions as well as build the country's resilience to a warming world," Mike adds.

"Against this backdrop, we'd expect this trend of personal commitment to sustainability to continue to grow as the nation moves collective ambition into real action in order to build a sustainable future for all New Zealanders," Mike concludes.

Making a home healthier for you and the environment

So, with the focus on sustainable homes only looking to increase, what can people do to make their existing home more sustainable and healthier? And, in turn, more attractive to potential buyers?

The easiest way of checking the state of your home is to use the free online HomeFit check. Developed to help assess the health, comfort and energy efficiency of New Zealand homes, this simple online check will tell you what can be improved and put you in touch with installers to help get any work done. For those with rentals, it will also help check whether you meet the Healthy Home Standards required for tenants.

A few easy DIY improvements to make are:

▪ Checking insulation

Aim for a minimum of 140mm of insulation in the ceiling and check there is adequate cover. Insulation put in some time ago may have been moved for lights or other items. Check the insulation adequately covers the entire ceiling. Also check underfloor insulation is adequate — see HomeFit for guidance.

▪ Ventilate

Getting the moisture out of a home is vital.

▪ Stop those draughts

Even if insulated well, draughts can really cool a house down. Caulking and new seals are easy to get for leaky windows. Door draughts can be stopped with a door sweep.

HomeFit has good guidance on how to check for all draughts throughout the house.

▪ Invest in energy efficient light bulbs

Swapping out those old incandescent bulbs with LEDs will use less energy; plus, they won’t need to be replaced for years.

▪ Insulate water heaters

Wrap water heaters in a heat blanket to massively reduce heat loss and save on electricity.

▪ Buy for efficiency

Look for energy efficiency ratings when buying appliances, heaters or replacing any home water/electrical systems. Gen Less has a handy energy efficiency calculator online.

▪ Look for insulating curtains or honeycomb blinds

Honeycomb blinds and thick curtains (fit appropriately) can help insulate windows and keep cold out and warmth in.

▪ Consider rainwater harvesting

There are some fantastic, affordable systems to capture a property’s rainwater for use in the garden or even in a home, saving on water bills and easing pressure on local water supplies.

▪ Save water with an aerating, waterefficient shower head

Saving water is a big one. There are great options available in New Zealand for attractive, water-efficient shower heads which reduce water use.

There are so many ways we can improve our homes to make them warmer, healthier, drier, and better for the environment. The key is to take stock, keep sustainability in mind, and make whatever improvements possible.

Climate and sustainability are megatrends 6 and 7 in REINZ’s Megatrends report. The report suggests the real estate profession should consider its role in the future of supporting vendors planning to sell on sustainability improvements to attract more buyers and a premium. To learn more about the sustainability megatrend, head to the report section of www.blog.reinz.co.nz/reports-1/megatrends-report-2022.

Mike Burrell, Executive Director, Sustainable Building Council

Andrew Eagles, Chief Executive, New Zealand Green Building Council