FMI Zero Energy homes: still well ahead of the updated code A new Code in town The good news, as many of you know, is that MBIE issued an update to the H1 energy efficiency section of New Zealand’s building code, effective from late November 2021. For housing and small buildings, it boosts thermal performance by increasing insulation and glazing quality in new builds. The consultation process for the update garnered almost 700 submissions for the housing and small buildings section, an unprecedented level of engagement. The Outcome document1 reported “overwhelming support for change” with a key feedback theme that the changes were “long overdue”. At FMI we say the same! Every house we build or retrofit to less ambitious emissions targets than the industry is capable of delivering locks us into suboptimal performance for upward of fifty years of the building’s life. We also agree with comments by Jason Quinn from Sustainable Engineering on the update:
It’s not perfect, it’s too slow, it needs to go further—but it’s the first step in a planned transition to the far better buildings we need to address climate change and improve people’s health and comfort.2 The theme of respondents wanting bigger and quicker changes had also come through in earlier feedback on MBIE’s Building for Climate Change proposals that sought to address operational and embodied emissions in the building sector. In the Summary Report’s3 own words:
There was support for the Framework’s scope to be wider and timeframe more ambitious
A sense of urgency was prominent throughout many responses. In fact, 55% of respondents wanted the operational efficiency requirements to be implemented ahead of the proposed 2035 timeframe. Many respondents referred to the long planning time frames that construction projects typically run on, meaning positive impacts from any new regulations would have an inherent delay. For those of us passionate about lifting the efficiency and healthiness of New Zealand homes, the H1 update helps our cause, even if we wish it had gone further and faster. The cost premium to build a better home than mandated by the code is now lower. The premium for our FMI Zero Energy / Ready (FMI ZE/R) home was only 4-6% more than the old Code, but it will now be even less, weakening a common objection to building better. Encouragingly, the outlook is for the premium to shrink further. The recent update is merely the start of emission reduction changes signalled in Building for Climate Change. We are finally moving along a track towards affordable, high-performance homes that benefit residents and the environment. The approach to such dwellings can vary, from FMI’s Zero Energy design to the currently better-known Passive House, but they draw off similar tools, concepts, and concerns, many of which have yet to be reflected in the construction guidelines for New Zealand homes.
https://www.building.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/building-code-compliance/building-code-updates/outcome-consultation-building-code-update-2021.pdf https://sustainableengineering.co.nz/analysed-h1-code-changes/ 3 https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/14726-building-for-climate-change-summary-report 1
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