With the government’s announcement of insulation requirements for (some) rental homes, there have been some very good responses.

This article in the Listener is a comprehensive look at the problem and possible solutions.

Also in the Otago Daily Times, another good article (after all it’s a big problem for older southern houses) with this contribution from Cosy Homes chair and Home Performance Advisor Scott Willis:

“But without also having wall insulation, double-glazed windows and curtains, households in the South are not being lifted out of fuel poverty, he says.

”Ceiling and underfloor is not even the minimum we need,” Mr Willis says.

”We estimate that 45% of Dunedin homes are in fuel poverty or would be if they heated their homes appropriately. That’s about 18,000 homes. Underfloor and ceiling insulation does not touch that figure, because without wall insulation and double glazing the cost of heating is still high. We can say we’ve reduced the severity of the fuel poverty, but we haven’t got them out of fuel poverty.”

This UK article looks at the best options for insulation based on climate impact, health, cost and thermal performance.

Not all are available here but it’s an interesting discussion of the environmental friendliness of different products.

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This article suggests that the optimal building design given the plummeting prices of PV was actually a short, deep plan building with the majority of the budget invested in roof-mounted PV.

However, deep plan buildings, typically with low floor to ceiling heights, have their own indoor environment challenges with the creation of internal working environments that deprive occupants from access to light, views and the freedom to modify their environment through the adjustment of operable windows and blinds.

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Former PlaceMakers boss, John Beveridge is calling for a national design competition focused on delivering a low-cost, eco-friendly and highly repeatable house type, with the winning plans to be fully digitised and accessible for free.

“My idea is to create high quality, smart housing with open access to a range of standard designs, which must incorporate eco-friendly outcomes through passive energy use. These plans would have pre-approved consent to build, and would allow banks to pre-approve a loan, as the normal risks of building were taken out. Homeowners couldn’t introduce variations to the design, but the design and plans would be free.”

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