Creating homes and neighbourhoods that work well into the future

and don’t cost the Earth

Beacon Pathway Limited

High Standard of Sustainability™

Presentation to SHaC

11 June 2008, Dr. Megan Howell

Beacon’s Goal for NZ housing

• “That 90% of New Zealand homes reach a high standard of sustainability by the year 2012.”

• But what, exactly, is a high standard of sustainability? How should such a house perform?

Parameters of the HSS

• The HSS is:

– A measure of home sustainability.

– The underlying standard promoted through a range of tools.

– Based as far as possible on measurable performance indicators.

– Defined within the confines of what is reasonably achievable for the mass market today.

– Designed to reflect Beacon’s priority issues and policies.

• The HSS is not a rating tool.

Policy issues and priorities

• Affordability and future flexibility (creating homes and neighbourhoods that work well into the future and don’t cost the Earth).

• Focused on the physical fabric of dwellings, as opposed to more behavioural approaches.

• Treats house as an interdependent web of design choices, rather than focusing on one or two priority areas.

HSS™ Targets

• 35% reduction in energy use in new homes• 15% reduction in energy use in existing homes

Energy

• 40% reduction in water use in both new and existing homesWater

• Average indoor environment temperatures meet WHO minimum standards

• Adequate ventilation without excessive draughts

Indoor Environment

Quality

• Provision for waste minimisation during construction, renovation and operation of homes

• Consideration of sustainability issues in the choice of materials used for construction or renovation

Materials and Waste

The High Standard of Sustainability™

Energy

• 180L mains potable water/person/dayWater

• Temperature: mean minimum 18⁰c living room; 16⁰c bedroom• Ventilation: 0.4 -0.6 (new), 0.5 – 0.75 (existing) air changes/hour• Mean relative humidity: 20-70% in bedrooms and living space• Checklist of features for pollutants

IEQ

• Checklist for materials selection and construction waste guidelines

• Checklist covering provision for composting, recyclables, no in-sink waste disposal unit

Materials and

Waste

Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3

New (kWhr/year/house) 7,600 8,500 9,800

Retrofit (kWhr/year/house) 9,050 11,000 12,000

Performance is interdependent

Zone 1

Warm

Zone 2

Temperate

Zone 3

Cooler winters

Energy benchmarks

Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3

New (kWhr/year/house)

7,600 8,500 9,800

Retrofit (kWhr/year/house)

9,050 11,000 12,000

• 35% reduction in energy use in new homes

• 15% reduction in energy use in existing homes

Energy features

• Use of basic energy efficiency measures (eg curtains, draught stoppers);

• Use of a solar hot water system;

• Energy efficient appliances (eg fridge, freezer, washing machine) and lighting;

• For existing homes: ceiling and underfloor insulation to meet “better” recommended values for each climate zone;

• For new homes: passive solar design (eg orientation for the sun, minimised southern façade glazing, large northerly windows with high thermal mass heat sink);

• For new homes: ceiling, external wall and underfloor insulation to meet “best” recommended R values for each climate zone;

• For new homes: double glazing in all climate zones.

Water benchmarks and features

Features

• Low flow fittings (shower heads, taps, no in sink waste disposal unit);

• Dual flush toilet or water limiting device for older single flush toilets;

• Water efficient appliances (dishwasher, washing machine);

• Rainwater tank for garden watering.

• 40% reduction in water use in both new and existing homesTarget

• 180L mains potable water per person per dayBenchmark

Indoor Environment Quality

• Average indoor environment temperatures meet WHO minimum standards

• Adequate ventilation without excessive draughtsTargets

• Living room: mean minimum 18⁰c• Bedroom: mean minimum16⁰cTemperature

benchmarks

• New homes: 0.4 – 0.6 air changes/hour• Existing homes: 0.5 – 0.75 air changes/hour

Ventilation benchmarks

• Mean relative humidity: 20-70% in bedrooms and living spaceHumidity benchmarks

Checklist• Mechanical extract ventilation

of kitchen, bathroom and laundry

• No unflued gas heaters

• Windows with passive venting• Environmental Choice certified

paints and finishes• No air conditioning

IEQ Interactions

Temperature

VentilationRelative humidity

Materials and waste

• Provision for waste minimisation during construction, renovation and operation of homes

• Consideration of sustainability issues in the choice of materials used for construction or renovation

Targets

• Checklist for materials selection and construction waste guidelines• Checklist covering provision for composting, recyclables, no in-sink

waste disposal unitBenchmarks

Waste checklist:• Provision for kitchen waste composting or storage space for kitchen waste collection

(5L min capacity in kitchen, compost bin or worm farm with 1m3 min space for composting organics on suburban lot sizes, )

• Space for recyclables storage (20L min capacity)

• No in sink waste disposal unit• New Building construction or renovation in accordance with REBRI construction

guidelines

Materials checklist

New Homes: Materials which:• promote good indoor air quality• have minimal health risks during construction or retrofitting• are durable and have low maintenance requirements• incorporate recycled content or can readily be recycled• reuse existing or demolished building materials or can readily be reused• are made from renewable or sustainably managed resources• have low embodied energy including minimal impacts due to transport• have low impact on landfill or are biodegradable• minimal impact on the environment (air, water, land, habitats and wildlife)• have third-party certification (eg NZ Environmental Choice, Forest Stewardship

Council)

Existing Homes: Materials which:• Retrofit or renovation applies principles from materials checklist where appropriate

Concluding notes

• Research underway to confirm benchmarks and develop simple measurement systems

• Key messages for Beacon: – Integration between issues key to sustainability

– Acknowledge different potential of new and existing homes.

• Look forward to seeing SHaC’s design interpretations of the HSS