Editor’s Note

“FMI Zero”: it’s more than “FMI Zero Energy”

Welcome to the third issue of Fenestration New Zealand

Another issue of this magazine dedicated to our research into energy and building efficiency, and another New Zealand annual heat record... NIWA reported that 2021 hit an average temperature of 13.560C, surpassing 2016’s prior record. Meanwhile, late last year, MBIE issued a higher standard of energy efficiency for housing and small buildings. It’s a move in the right direction to rein in climate change by cutting emissions from our building and construction sector – yet the gap to the quality of homes we need to be building still stretches wide.

It needn’t be so. Since our last issue, we’ve been broadening our view of how new-build homes can contribute to significantly lower emissions. Cutting energy use per square metre and generating renewable energy where possible both matter, but so too does avoiding materials with a high embedded carbon content and transport miles to the house site. Not wasting material onsite or in refurbishments and repairs during a house’s life also add up. We’re now envisaging a new-build home that meets the zero energy definition, achieves zero carbon through its life by netting off surplus onsite generation, and is delivered with zero waste by reusing, recycling and returning excess building materials to nature.

We call this home “FMI Zero”, built on the three pillars of FMI Zero Energy, FMI Zero Carbon and FMI Zero Waste. FMI Zero is the lens that guides our development efforts towards homes that are energyefficient, zero-emission, healthy and affordable.

Read on to find out how our FMI Zero vision is closer to reality than you may think.

CORRECTION to Fenestration New Zealand Issue 2

In our item “A model is... just a model” (page 49) we stated that BRANZ had used PHPP to conduct research for the new H1 building code options. This was incorrect. BRANZ used EnergyPlus v9.2. We regret the error.

WARREN LEWIS

MANAGING DIRECTOR FMI BUILDING INNOVATION