Registrations for Homestar have risen from 670 to 6,700 since 2014. Homestar was introduced by the council in 2011 to give the property industry a sustainability ”stamp of approval,” and a new, improved version is due for release at the end of July.
Registrations for Homestar have risen from 670 to 6,700 since 2014. Homestar was introduced by the council in 2011 to give the property industry a sustainability ”stamp of approval,” and a new, improved version is due for release at the end of July.
Sistine Solar joins the race to make rooftop solar systems more visually appealing — a factor, along with cost, that has been holding back adoption.
The new start up, out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has developed roof-mounted panels which feature a graphic interlayer that can display an image — such as that of roof shingles, grass, a company logo or a flag — without impacting performance.
Non-profit research institute Motu Economics looked at the first 45,000 homes retrofitted with insulation under the Warm Up NZ Programme, and found the scheme had a 6:1 benefit-to-cost ratio.
Motu Economics senior fellow Arthur Grimes said the research showed retrofitting insulation prevented one death for every 1000 homes insulated.
The healthy building movement is getting traction – it won’t surprise HPAs or EDAS!
Talks about the key drivers being indoor air, more natural light, active design (eg encouraging people to use stairs), bringing the outdoors indoors, and building for resilience.
Read more http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/urban-expeditions/green-buildings/surprising-ways-green-buildings-improve-health-sustainability/