February 7, 2026 • 22 mins
In a time where environmental protection is a near-daily topic, a large emphasis has been placed on the importance of sustainable building practices.
The New Zealand Green Building Council was established in New Zealand in 2005, and receives a large amount of backing from Kiwi engineers, architects and builders.
Pete caught up with CEO Andrew Eagles to discuss what the organisation does, and what their goals for the country are.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Resident Builder podcast with Peter Wolfcamp
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
EDB you were News Talk said, be welcome back to
the show. Remember at around eight thirty this morning, we
will have Red Climb pasted as always joining us. So
we're into the garden with Ridge from eight thirty. But
right now I wanted to take a little bit of
time today on the show to have a chat with
Andrew Eagles. Andrew is the chief executive of the New
(00:32):
Zealand Green Building Council, and oh Andrew to explain what
the New Zealand Green Building Council is and what they do.
My own engagement with them extends back to I should
look it up. It was like twelve thirteen years ago
where I went along to do the Home Star Home
Assessors or Home Practitioners course version one of Home Star.
(00:58):
So twenty years is the remarkable achievement. And let's have
a bit of a chat with Andrew this morning. A
very good morning, Kioto.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Welcome, great to speak with you, Pete and you.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So let's go back twenty years. What led to the arrival,
let's say the Green Building Council in New Zealand. Given
that there are around the World Green Building Councils as well.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yes, well, there was some really insightful visionary leaders from
the construction and property sector who wanted to set out
a mechanism to drive up quality and health and reduce impacts.
And I understand I met over a few drinks and
a number of times in Wellington. It was Peter Doowell,
(01:48):
Graham Finlay, Dean Croucher and a number of others, and
they all got quite passionate about it. And then one
of them said, well, you know, if we want to
do this, we're going to have to have to get
cracking and raise the money and form an entity. And
they did look overseas to models to set up a
(02:11):
full purpose organization with the view to drive up healthier,
more efficient buildings to help New Zealand along the way,
and that's led to this amazing movement. And when we're
so grateful to people like you and then and our
founding thirty one members, we now have seven hundreds and
(02:34):
all of them have helped us become an accepted, trusted,
significant part of the construction and building sector. And you know,
all of those chairs and boards put in voluntary time
over that twenty years to oversee the organization and grow it.
(02:56):
And that's meant and the key thing they wanted when
they started was certifications to ensure buildings owners and tenants
could rely that this building was a really good one
for investments, for quality for tenants. And now thanks for
using the certifications to lend out money to developers and builders, corporations,
(03:19):
tenants and families are trusting the certification to get quality.
And we've hit fifty billion dollars worth of project certified
to either greenstale or home stale or existing building tools,
five point five million square meters of commercial building now
the sixteen thousand homes, so you know we're celebrating this
(03:42):
week and Childer to you for all of your support
over time. Pete, we want to thank everyone who's been
involved in either look to further that for their own
purposes or they've put time or effort in to support.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
This because I think going back and like I said,
my sort of engagement, let's say, was, I don't know
when version one of the home Star program came out,
and there was an opportunity to go along and sort
of get engaged in it, to be introduced to the
concept of building science. And while It's a phrase that
(04:19):
we use quite a lot today, but if you go
back twenty years ago, there were not that many people
using the phrase, because I know it was there, but
it didn't seem to be front of mind. Whereas I
think one of the things about the Green Building Council
and similar organizations is let's apply some actual science. Let's
(04:41):
measure what we do, because then we can say this building,
let's be blunt, this building is better than that one
because it does X, Y and z. You know, it
doesn't overheat, or it does keep the heat in, or
it allows for shading and all of these sorts of things.
So it's an objective standard of being able to say
this is the reason that this is a good building,
(05:03):
and it's got our home star level whatever it's going
to be well. Used to be one through teen, wasn't it.
Now it's just five through ten, six through teen, sick
through teens. Okay.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think that's right, and there's some real advantages to
that approach. So we know, and we're getting increasingly concerns
from people and new built homes that their new built
homes are overheating. But as you say, if you apply
the science at the design stage, you can check if
(05:36):
that home is going to be comfortable and warm and
not hit high temperatures. You know, we've got people talking
about over thirty degrees at night when their kids are
trying to sleep, and sure one man fifty degrees at midday.
Now it doesn't actually need to be like that. If
we apply the science as you say, then you can
(05:57):
check through that design stage and you know you're going
to have more comforts. You're going to be warm in
the winter and comfortable not cold, and some are you're
going to be cooled because you haven't overplayed and you
haven't got too much internal heata. So there is an
increasing awareness of this. And another example would be the
(06:20):
commercial building sector, where we've calculated that over forty percent
of buildings over ten million dollars are applying that science
and getting better at buildings lower running costs, and a
lot of them are really interested in good equality, comfort,
well being of their staff and tenants inside those buildings.
(06:41):
So again, as you say, it's that way to get
that robustness and certainty of quality.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
And I guess my focus obviously is in the residential market,
and I'm cognisant or conscious of the fact that there's
the green Star program for commercial buildings. But you know,
if you're getting the commercial developers and so on to
get on board with green Star, you know they're not
always just doing it out of the goodness of their heart. Right,
(07:10):
it makes sense to them to build better buildings which
arguably they could possibly lease for more or they have
longer term leases because it's a good building for your
business to operate in.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Exactly. Yep. And you touched on overseas and we have
learned from other screen thirding councils around the world, but
the evidence is really clear that buildings verified as green
do deliver better places, better rental yields, and a price premium,
and that's been rewarded here in New Zealand as well.
(07:46):
So JLL did a great report turning Green to Gold,
which found a three to nine percent uplifts for both
prices and as three to seven per cent uplift for
rental income. And I think that will come in residential
as well. And I do get really excited about residential
(08:07):
because that's the thing that can deliver for lots of
Kiwi families right, a healthier place and less run Where
are we.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
At with the numbers in terms of so actually for
our listeners. So if you're interested in having your house
rated for home Start, typically you'd need to what's the process?
How does that work? So I'm you know, as it happens,
I will be building later on, and so at the
design stage, I'd come to the Green Building Council to
(08:36):
one of your team and go, this is what I propose,
and then it's reviewed in order to figure out where
I'm going to sit on the rating scheme exactly.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Okay, So there's a list of home Start designers on
our which and in fact lots of responsible builders have
people in their team who have that training that you undertook. Yes,
and that means that you can say to the builder, hey,
I'd like a home Star certificate and then that gets
(09:06):
checked the design stage to check it's on track, and
then at the built stage is a check just to
ensure that it's met the standard and that that process
in terms of the certification fees is two to five
hundred dollars that kind of element, but it means that
(09:26):
you get that certainty and a lot of builders now
have that in house and they can deliver it for
you if you want. And of course, what it means
is less moisture in the home. You've got good ventilation,
you're going to be more comfortable, good air quality. And
also now you can access significantly lower mortgage costs. So
(09:52):
over the course of the mortgage you could save sixty
to one hundred thousand dollars through A and Z through
reduced mortgage interest costs and also love running costs. And
this is really excited Pete. We've found that developers can
now get lower interest costs for building to home starts.
(10:13):
That's completely different. If there's people building out there and
they need a loan for building their homes, they're the developer.
Then the loan they can get from the dank for
building those homes, you know they might need it when
they get the land and then they wait a couple
of years before they sell, they can gain significant benefits.
(10:34):
We've got one builder in christ Church. He's saving after
his costs, he's saving thirty thousand dollars per home for
building to home stars. So it's a really exciting moment
because finance is greening. You're seeing finance right reward home star.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Because I think sometimes the perception is that it's going
to cost me more to go to build to home
Star standards or to build green. And I think that
maybe in the early stages, and we're talking ten to
fifteen years ago, when the technology and the understanding was
in its infancy, that might have been true. I think
today we can build better because there's more people in
(11:16):
that space, there's more knowledge without necessarily incurring costs. Do
you think that many people are thinking about the long
term cost of running their building and that the upfront
investment of building better is worth it because you get
the payoff for the rest of the life of the building.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
That's exactly one of the challenges. Yeah, so it is.
We see on average that it's between zero point five
and one point five additional cost, so generally under ten
thousand dollars for that additional That might mean you need
(11:54):
to put in ventilation or sure slightly improved interlacen standards,
or just some minor improvements. But the great thing about
the infometrics research, the clients we've seen and quantity surveys checking,
is that they've found that that gets paid off in
about three years. So you know you're going to hold
(12:17):
your house for ten, twenty thirty years and all that
time you'll be winning because you'll have lower interest costs,
have a more comfortable home, and you can access lower
interest mortgage costs, and so that payoff comes out at
about three years and then you've got all that upside
for the rest of the house. But I think most
(12:40):
importantly you just get a place which is going to
have less mold than a home. We're seeing issues of
builders building and they've got moisture in the in the
cavity above the ceiling in the loft area because it's
just getting the moisture can't get out, and so if
you want to ensure you haven't got that risk of
(13:01):
needing to come back and make amends, then it's really
good to get this right. Apply the building science that
we know, brands and other supports and we know works.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yeah, absolutely, we need to take a short break. Andrew
Eagles is my guest from the New Zealand Green Building
Council celebrating twenty years and I think that's worth that's
worth celebrating. We're back in just a moment from everyday
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it myself. Zimby joining me on the show. This morning
is Andrew Eagles from the New Zealand Green Building Council
celebrating twenty years and there's a lot to celebrate. So
(14:39):
what Andrew, what are the numbers look like? In terms
of how many houses out there in New Zealand are
have a home Star rating, and that you know, if
somebody ever asked, they could go, here's my house. It's rated,
and I'm a home Star five or six or a
seven or an eight. Bearing in mind that when I
did the course, and I mentioned this to you, and
I think you were a little bit sort of slightly
(15:01):
did someone really say that? But when I did the course,
which I think is like twelve thirteen year ago, the
person undertaking the course said, look, I don't know that
we are ever going to see a ten star house
in New Zealand. Whether that was the technology or the
inclination or the desire or whatever. The great news is
I've been to one. So there's not just one. There's
(15:24):
a number of ten star rated homes around New Zealand.
But in general terms, how many Homestar rated houses are
there out there now?
Speaker 3 (15:33):
So we've got twenty two thousand homes on our books
and about six thousand of those are still processing. Through
right sixteen thousand homes have been completed around our New Zealand.
And yeah, as you say, there's lots that six homes start,
and we would recommend people start at homes start. But
(15:57):
you're right. You know, a long time ago people said,
well ten homestar is world leading. It absolute best you
can do. But we've got ten homes around the country
to celebrate and go and look at. And people have
just been overjoyed in those homes about the quality and
the comfort that they've got in them. So it is possible.
(16:20):
And I think that over time, it's been really exciting
to see those numbers come through, and lots of things
have actually transformed in the market generally as a result
through your support and others. Lots of things have become normalized.
We're seeing more sitewt management plans, We're seeing more emphasis
(16:41):
on you know, the insulation standards have improved and we
kept those and it's because of people stepping up and
wanting to try to do better, which is great.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
But it's also doing better because there's objective, rational science
behind this, right, We're not just talking sort of ideas
that are well intentioned but not backed up by evidence.
And I think that's the really exciting thing about you know,
more and more discussion about building science. Here is some evidence.
If you do this, you'll get this result. If you don't,
(17:15):
you'll get a house that's thirty five degrees at night,
you know, So let's apply the science and let's build
better buildings.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yes, exactly, that's right. I mean this is led by
global science on how homes work, thermal efficiency and how
you deal with heat building up in the home. And
also importantly we are seeing new build homes with as
you say, overheating. The Minister for Building Construction said new
(17:45):
build homes causing kiwis to be cooked in their own homes.
But we're also seeing moisture issues even in homes that
are six six months or twelve months. So let's step
up the building codes not adequate enough for you and
your family if you want to reduce that mold build up,
(18:05):
and if you want to be comfortable, use just that
independent check and then you can be sure and you
can access at low interest Morgitray.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
And that's one of those things people will often say, Okay,
so if I can't rely on the New Zealand building
code to deliver me an adequate house, a good house, right,
where do I go? And one of those places is
look at home Star. Adopt some of those principles and
you will end up with a better house because you know,
you talk to people today and you go, do you
realize that there's no requirement for heating in the building code?
(18:36):
Really didn't know that? Yeah, exactly. It's staggering. Andrew, there
is a tremendous amount to celebrate at the Green Building Council.
I think the numbers speak for themselves. If you know,
you're talking about twenty thousand houses now, that's remarkable in
that time and the rate of increase I think is exponential,
(18:57):
which is also really exciting. I have to say, just
on a sort of personal, private and professional note, running
some houses through home Star when we did the bloc
gosh ten years ago. You know, I'm still really pleased
that we did it, and those houses stand out for
me as an exemplar of really good building science and
(19:19):
building again in the future, certainly i'd be looking at
home Star. So again, thank you for all of the
work that you do and all of your team, but
particularly you. I think you've been outstanding in your role.
So my thanks to you.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Oh Pete, thanks so much. And just to note that
anyone out there who wants to make a start, you're
a builder or you're a designer, we do have a
residential energy modeling course coming up throughout New Zealand. We're
coming to Hamilton, Wellington, Queenstown, christ Church, Twonger, you know,
sixty dollars to come along and learn how an introduction
(19:54):
to this the building science which Pete talks so eloquently
and with such a beautiful voice better than myself, to
come along to a three hour session and understand this
is the future. It's what people want, it's what banks want,
ye and we're going to be driving forward to better out,
more energy efficient, better for our energy grid and better
(20:16):
for our families. And so I'll check out really into
energy modeling within the Green Building Council.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yeah, there's courses around the country and I'm hoping to
get to some myself. Andrew, again, my thanks to you
and congratulations, Thank you, Take care all the best. Andrew
Eagles from the New Zealand Green Building Council. If you're
interested in sort of an introduction to energy modeling, which
is going to become more and more commonplace, go to
the Green Building Council website check out where these free
(20:43):
or these seminars are going to be. It's an introduction
to it. So like I can't do the Auckland one.
I might end up in Hamilton going to that one there.
It's really exciting and for people that you and I,
if you're a builder trades person, basically get on board
with this because it is where the future is hidden. Oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty is the number to call. Actually,
(21:07):
just indulge me just a moment, because I get text
like this all the time from Fiona. God bless you.
But Peter, what's the point of a homestar home? It
stops working the minute you open the doors on a
sunny days and the little ones leave the doors open
as they run and out. And we don't like a
home with the windows white, and don't we all like
a home with the windows wide open in summer. It's
(21:27):
got to be one of the biggest misnomers around sort of,
you know, trying to make our houses a bit more
air tight, a bit more energy efficient. Is this notion
that you can't open the doors and windows. Of course
you can when it's a benefit to the house. But
when you close your doors and windows, you want them
to work properly. That's the issue. So thanks Fianna. I
get what you're saying, but you know, let's not pretend
(21:50):
that you can't open doors and windows on an energy
efficient house. Right, Yeah, that's my rant over. Let's talk
to Rid. Let's get into the garden. Maybe I can
ask him about me wasps oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
For more from the Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcamp, listen
live to News Talk set B on Sunday mornings from six,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Resident Builder podcast with Peter Wolfcamp
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
EDB you were News Talk said, be welcome back to
the show. Remember at around eight thirty this morning, we
will have Red Climb pasted as always joining us. So
we're into the garden with Ridge from eight thirty. But
right now I wanted to take a little bit of
time today on the show to have a chat with
Andrew Eagles. Andrew is the chief executive of the New
(00:32):
Zealand Green Building Council, and oh Andrew to explain what
the New Zealand Green Building Council is and what they do.
My own engagement with them extends back to I should
look it up. It was like twelve thirteen years ago
where I went along to do the Home Star Home
Assessors or Home Practitioners course version one of Home Star.
(00:58):
So twenty years is the remarkable achievement. And let's have
a bit of a chat with Andrew this morning. A
very good morning, Kioto.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Welcome, great to speak with you, Pete and you.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So let's go back twenty years. What led to the arrival,
let's say the Green Building Council in New Zealand. Given
that there are around the World Green Building Councils as well.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Yes, well, there was some really insightful visionary leaders from
the construction and property sector who wanted to set out
a mechanism to drive up quality and health and reduce impacts.
And I understand I met over a few drinks and
a number of times in Wellington. It was Peter Doowell,
(01:48):
Graham Finlay, Dean Croucher and a number of others, and
they all got quite passionate about it. And then one
of them said, well, you know, if we want to
do this, we're going to have to have to get
cracking and raise the money and form an entity. And
they did look overseas to models to set up a
(02:11):
full purpose organization with the view to drive up healthier,
more efficient buildings to help New Zealand along the way,
and that's led to this amazing movement. And when we're
so grateful to people like you and then and our
founding thirty one members, we now have seven hundreds and
(02:34):
all of them have helped us become an accepted, trusted,
significant part of the construction and building sector. And you know,
all of those chairs and boards put in voluntary time
over that twenty years to oversee the organization and grow it.
(02:56):
And that's meant and the key thing they wanted when
they started was certifications to ensure buildings owners and tenants
could rely that this building was a really good one
for investments, for quality for tenants. And now thanks for
using the certifications to lend out money to developers and builders, corporations,
(03:19):
tenants and families are trusting the certification to get quality.
And we've hit fifty billion dollars worth of project certified
to either greenstale or home stale or existing building tools,
five point five million square meters of commercial building now
the sixteen thousand homes, so you know we're celebrating this
(03:42):
week and Childer to you for all of your support
over time. Pete, we want to thank everyone who's been
involved in either look to further that for their own
purposes or they've put time or effort in to support.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
This because I think going back and like I said,
my sort of engagement, let's say, was, I don't know
when version one of the home Star program came out,
and there was an opportunity to go along and sort
of get engaged in it, to be introduced to the
concept of building science. And while It's a phrase that
(04:19):
we use quite a lot today, but if you go
back twenty years ago, there were not that many people
using the phrase, because I know it was there, but
it didn't seem to be front of mind. Whereas I
think one of the things about the Green Building Council
and similar organizations is let's apply some actual science. Let's
(04:41):
measure what we do, because then we can say this building,
let's be blunt, this building is better than that one
because it does X, Y and z. You know, it
doesn't overheat, or it does keep the heat in, or
it allows for shading and all of these sorts of things.
So it's an objective standard of being able to say
this is the reason that this is a good building,
(05:03):
and it's got our home star level whatever it's going
to be well. Used to be one through teen, wasn't it.
Now it's just five through ten, six through teen, sick
through teens. Okay.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think that's right, and there's some real advantages to
that approach. So we know, and we're getting increasingly concerns
from people and new built homes that their new built
homes are overheating. But as you say, if you apply
the science at the design stage, you can check if
(05:36):
that home is going to be comfortable and warm and
not hit high temperatures. You know, we've got people talking
about over thirty degrees at night when their kids are
trying to sleep, and sure one man fifty degrees at midday.
Now it doesn't actually need to be like that. If
we apply the science as you say, then you can
(05:57):
check through that design stage and you know you're going
to have more comforts. You're going to be warm in
the winter and comfortable not cold, and some are you're
going to be cooled because you haven't overplayed and you
haven't got too much internal heata. So there is an
increasing awareness of this. And another example would be the
(06:20):
commercial building sector, where we've calculated that over forty percent
of buildings over ten million dollars are applying that science
and getting better at buildings lower running costs, and a
lot of them are really interested in good equality, comfort,
well being of their staff and tenants inside those buildings.
(06:41):
So again, as you say, it's that way to get
that robustness and certainty of quality.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
And I guess my focus obviously is in the residential market,
and I'm cognisant or conscious of the fact that there's
the green Star program for commercial buildings. But you know,
if you're getting the commercial developers and so on to
get on board with green Star, you know they're not
always just doing it out of the goodness of their heart. Right,
(07:10):
it makes sense to them to build better buildings which
arguably they could possibly lease for more or they have
longer term leases because it's a good building for your
business to operate in.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Exactly. Yep. And you touched on overseas and we have
learned from other screen thirding councils around the world, but
the evidence is really clear that buildings verified as green
do deliver better places, better rental yields, and a price premium,
and that's been rewarded here in New Zealand as well.
(07:46):
So JLL did a great report turning Green to Gold,
which found a three to nine percent uplifts for both
prices and as three to seven per cent uplift for
rental income. And I think that will come in residential
as well. And I do get really excited about residential
(08:07):
because that's the thing that can deliver for lots of
Kiwi families right, a healthier place and less run Where
are we.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
At with the numbers in terms of so actually for
our listeners. So if you're interested in having your house
rated for home Start, typically you'd need to what's the process?
How does that work? So I'm you know, as it happens,
I will be building later on, and so at the
design stage, I'd come to the Green Building Council to
(08:36):
one of your team and go, this is what I propose,
and then it's reviewed in order to figure out where
I'm going to sit on the rating scheme exactly.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
Okay, So there's a list of home Start designers on
our which and in fact lots of responsible builders have
people in their team who have that training that you undertook. Yes,
and that means that you can say to the builder, hey,
I'd like a home Star certificate and then that gets
(09:06):
checked the design stage to check it's on track, and
then at the built stage is a check just to
ensure that it's met the standard and that that process
in terms of the certification fees is two to five
hundred dollars that kind of element, but it means that
(09:26):
you get that certainty and a lot of builders now
have that in house and they can deliver it for
you if you want. And of course, what it means
is less moisture in the home. You've got good ventilation,
you're going to be more comfortable, good air quality. And
also now you can access significantly lower mortgage costs. So
(09:52):
over the course of the mortgage you could save sixty
to one hundred thousand dollars through A and Z through
reduced mortgage interest costs and also love running costs. And
this is really excited Pete. We've found that developers can
now get lower interest costs for building to home starts.
(10:13):
That's completely different. If there's people building out there and
they need a loan for building their homes, they're the developer.
Then the loan they can get from the dank for
building those homes, you know they might need it when
they get the land and then they wait a couple
of years before they sell, they can gain significant benefits.
(10:34):
We've got one builder in christ Church. He's saving after
his costs, he's saving thirty thousand dollars per home for
building to home stars. So it's a really exciting moment
because finance is greening. You're seeing finance right reward home star.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
Because I think sometimes the perception is that it's going
to cost me more to go to build to home
Star standards or to build green. And I think that
maybe in the early stages, and we're talking ten to
fifteen years ago, when the technology and the understanding was
in its infancy, that might have been true. I think
today we can build better because there's more people in
(11:16):
that space, there's more knowledge without necessarily incurring costs. Do
you think that many people are thinking about the long
term cost of running their building and that the upfront
investment of building better is worth it because you get
the payoff for the rest of the life of the building.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
That's exactly one of the challenges. Yeah, so it is.
We see on average that it's between zero point five
and one point five additional cost, so generally under ten
thousand dollars for that additional That might mean you need
(11:54):
to put in ventilation or sure slightly improved interlacen standards,
or just some minor improvements. But the great thing about
the infometrics research, the clients we've seen and quantity surveys checking,
is that they've found that that gets paid off in
about three years. So you know you're going to hold
(12:17):
your house for ten, twenty thirty years and all that
time you'll be winning because you'll have lower interest costs,
have a more comfortable home, and you can access lower
interest mortgage costs, and so that payoff comes out at
about three years and then you've got all that upside
for the rest of the house. But I think most
(12:40):
importantly you just get a place which is going to
have less mold than a home. We're seeing issues of
builders building and they've got moisture in the in the
cavity above the ceiling in the loft area because it's
just getting the moisture can't get out, and so if
you want to ensure you haven't got that risk of
(13:01):
needing to come back and make amends, then it's really
good to get this right. Apply the building science that
we know, brands and other supports and we know works.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Yeah, absolutely, we need to take a short break. Andrew
Eagles is my guest from the New Zealand Green Building
Council celebrating twenty years and I think that's worth that's
worth celebrating. We're back in just a moment from everyday
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(14:17):
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it myself. Zimby joining me on the show. This morning
is Andrew Eagles from the New Zealand Green Building Council
celebrating twenty years and there's a lot to celebrate. So
(14:39):
what Andrew, what are the numbers look like? In terms
of how many houses out there in New Zealand are
have a home Star rating, and that you know, if
somebody ever asked, they could go, here's my house. It's rated,
and I'm a home Star five or six or a
seven or an eight. Bearing in mind that when I
did the course, and I mentioned this to you, and
I think you were a little bit sort of slightly
(15:01):
did someone really say that? But when I did the course,
which I think is like twelve thirteen year ago, the
person undertaking the course said, look, I don't know that
we are ever going to see a ten star house
in New Zealand. Whether that was the technology or the
inclination or the desire or whatever. The great news is
I've been to one. So there's not just one. There's
(15:24):
a number of ten star rated homes around New Zealand.
But in general terms, how many Homestar rated houses are
there out there now?
Speaker 3 (15:33):
So we've got twenty two thousand homes on our books
and about six thousand of those are still processing. Through
right sixteen thousand homes have been completed around our New Zealand.
And yeah, as you say, there's lots that six homes start,
and we would recommend people start at homes start. But
(15:57):
you're right. You know, a long time ago people said,
well ten homestar is world leading. It absolute best you
can do. But we've got ten homes around the country
to celebrate and go and look at. And people have
just been overjoyed in those homes about the quality and
the comfort that they've got in them. So it is possible.
(16:20):
And I think that over time, it's been really exciting
to see those numbers come through, and lots of things
have actually transformed in the market generally as a result
through your support and others. Lots of things have become normalized.
We're seeing more sitewt management plans, We're seeing more emphasis
(16:41):
on you know, the insulation standards have improved and we
kept those and it's because of people stepping up and
wanting to try to do better, which is great.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
But it's also doing better because there's objective, rational science
behind this, right, We're not just talking sort of ideas
that are well intentioned but not backed up by evidence.
And I think that's the really exciting thing about you know,
more and more discussion about building science. Here is some evidence.
If you do this, you'll get this result. If you don't,
(17:15):
you'll get a house that's thirty five degrees at night,
you know, So let's apply the science and let's build
better buildings.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yes, exactly, that's right. I mean this is led by
global science on how homes work, thermal efficiency and how
you deal with heat building up in the home. And
also importantly we are seeing new build homes with as
you say, overheating. The Minister for Building Construction said new
(17:45):
build homes causing kiwis to be cooked in their own homes.
But we're also seeing moisture issues even in homes that
are six six months or twelve months. So let's step
up the building codes not adequate enough for you and
your family if you want to reduce that mold build up,
(18:05):
and if you want to be comfortable, use just that
independent check and then you can be sure and you
can access at low interest Morgitray.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
And that's one of those things people will often say, Okay,
so if I can't rely on the New Zealand building
code to deliver me an adequate house, a good house, right,
where do I go? And one of those places is
look at home Star. Adopt some of those principles and
you will end up with a better house because you know,
you talk to people today and you go, do you
realize that there's no requirement for heating in the building code?
(18:36):
Really didn't know that? Yeah, exactly. It's staggering. Andrew, there
is a tremendous amount to celebrate at the Green Building Council.
I think the numbers speak for themselves. If you know,
you're talking about twenty thousand houses now, that's remarkable in
that time and the rate of increase I think is exponential,
(18:57):
which is also really exciting. I have to say, just
on a sort of personal, private and professional note, running
some houses through home Star when we did the bloc
gosh ten years ago. You know, I'm still really pleased
that we did it, and those houses stand out for
me as an exemplar of really good building science and
(19:19):
building again in the future, certainly i'd be looking at
home Star. So again, thank you for all of the
work that you do and all of your team, but
particularly you. I think you've been outstanding in your role.
So my thanks to you.
Speaker 3 (19:32):
Oh Pete, thanks so much. And just to note that
anyone out there who wants to make a start, you're
a builder or you're a designer, we do have a
residential energy modeling course coming up throughout New Zealand. We're
coming to Hamilton, Wellington, Queenstown, christ Church, Twonger, you know,
sixty dollars to come along and learn how an introduction
(19:54):
to this the building science which Pete talks so eloquently
and with such a beautiful voice better than myself, to
come along to a three hour session and understand this
is the future. It's what people want, it's what banks want,
ye and we're going to be driving forward to better out,
more energy efficient, better for our energy grid and better
(20:16):
for our families. And so I'll check out really into
energy modeling within the Green Building Council.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yeah, there's courses around the country and I'm hoping to
get to some myself. Andrew, again, my thanks to you
and congratulations, Thank you, Take care all the best. Andrew
Eagles from the New Zealand Green Building Council. If you're
interested in sort of an introduction to energy modeling, which
is going to become more and more commonplace, go to
the Green Building Council website check out where these free
(20:43):
or these seminars are going to be. It's an introduction
to it. So like I can't do the Auckland one.
I might end up in Hamilton going to that one there.
It's really exciting and for people that you and I,
if you're a builder trades person, basically get on board
with this because it is where the future is hidden. Oh,
eight hundred and eighty ten eighty is the number to call. Actually,
(21:07):
just indulge me just a moment, because I get text
like this all the time from Fiona. God bless you.
But Peter, what's the point of a homestar home? It
stops working the minute you open the doors on a
sunny days and the little ones leave the doors open
as they run and out. And we don't like a
home with the windows white, and don't we all like
a home with the windows wide open in summer. It's
(21:27):
got to be one of the biggest misnomers around sort of,
you know, trying to make our houses a bit more
air tight, a bit more energy efficient. Is this notion
that you can't open the doors and windows. Of course
you can when it's a benefit to the house. But
when you close your doors and windows, you want them
to work properly. That's the issue. So thanks Fianna. I
get what you're saying, but you know, let's not pretend
(21:50):
that you can't open doors and windows on an energy
efficient house. Right, Yeah, that's my rant over. Let's talk
to Rid. Let's get into the garden. Maybe I can
ask him about me wasps oh eight hundred eighty ten eighty.
Speaker 1 (22:03):
For more from the Resident Builder with Peter Wolfcamp, listen
live to News Talk set B on Sunday mornings from six,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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