Useful links
Below are some informative websites on energy, water, material efficiency and behaviour change:
BRANZ: Are dedicated to the science behind buildings, materials and systems, and how they work together
EECA: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority – EECA is the government agency that works to improve the energy efficiency of New Zealand’s homes and businesses, and encourages the uptake of renewable energy
Beacon Pathway:Beacon have both research and projects in home performance and sustainable neighbourhoods and communities
SmarterHomes : Smarter Homes provides up-to-date information and options for building smarter to make your home warmer, safer and drier
Level: The technical aspects and details of NZ sustainable building. Level will help you design and build homes which have less impact on the environment and are healthier, more comfortable, and have lower running costs
Design Navigator: The Design Navigator website offers you a range of online calculators for buildings. You also find a lot of useful information in the Solar Design FAQs and the listed links and case studies
BRANZ Maintaining My Home: Practical advice on how to maintain different parts of your home, and on related issues such as building controls, health and safety, earthquakes, weathertightness and painting.
BRANZ LCA: It’s purpose is to provide tools, information and data to help with better understanding the climate change and other environmental impacts to buildings.
BRANZ REBRI: Material Waste.How to reduce your construction waste, including designing out waste, waste on building sites, through to demolition waste.
The High Performance Construction Details Handbook: Is a handbook of consented construction details from High Performance and Passive Houses that can offer guidance on the thermal performance, cost and carbon effect of them.
Environmental Choice: In New Zealand, Environmental Choice is the official environmental label for friendly, safe and sustainable materials
Futurefit: discover your impact on the planet…
Passive House: Guided by research into the physics of building and accurate modelling, Passive House is the ‘Gold Standard’ of house performance – bringing together comfort, air quality.
Superhome: The Superhome Movement operates as a not-for profit organisation with a number of key activities centred around education and lobbying to support change in the New Zealand building industry
New Zealand Green Building Council: The New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC) is a not-for-profit, industry organisation with a vision of New Zealanders occupying healthy, efficient and productive buildings in a sustainable built environment
Homefit: Online check: This is designed for Kiwis looking at homes to buy or rent, or for homeowners looking to improve their property.
Homestar: Homestar is a comprehensive, independent national rating tool, run by the not-for-profit Green Building Council, that measures the health, warmth and efficiency of New Zealand houses. A home is rated on a scale from 6 to 10.
GreenStar: Green Star is an internationally-recognised rating system for the design, construction and operation of buildings, fitout and communities.
Nabers: Using a 6 star scale, NABERS helps Australian and NZ building owners understand how their asset impacts the environment.
Sustainable Living Education Trust:The Sustainable Living programme is a practical, fun way to learn and use actions which reduce your environmental impacts