A group home builder in Hawke’s Bay achieved its first Homestar rating, offering a home that’s more energy efficient, economical to run, and comfortable to live in.
Sustainable housing is still relatively new to the New Zealand market, yet the demand is increasing. Very few group building companies offer explicit eco-offers that maximise sustainable building solutions so that homes are more energy efficient, economical to run, and more comfortable to live in.
Best Home™ is a joint initiative between local government and the building industry offering builders and designers a one-stop-shop package of resources and tools to encourage and support the construction of more sustainable homes. This is the first home built in Hawke’s Bay by Horvath Homes to specifications that classify it as a 7 Homestar rated home.
The home achieved this star rating for 6.4% additional cost of a ‘standard home’.
Summary of the key sustainability features
- Passive solar design with optimised window size and orientation
- Wide eaves providing summer shade
- High specification above building code insulation – ceiling R5.0; wall R2.8
- Thermally broken low e-argon filled double glazed windows
- Water efficient fittings with 3 and 4 stars WELS rated tapeware
- Stormwater collection and treatment onsite before discharge
- Rainwater harvesting and reuse for hot water, laundry, toilet and garden
- Solar hot water system combined with wetback on wood-burner
- 180 litre hot water cylinder system with a 4 star energy rating
- Low emission wood burner
- Thermal mass wall – heated by the sun and wood burner
- Energy efficient lighting and appliances
- Clerestory windows providing summer stack ventilation
- Electric car charging point and smart meter
- Kitchen and bathroom mechanical extraction ventilation
- Environmentally certified and low VOC products and materials
- Careful construction waste management with 95% diversion of construction waste from landfill
- Composting facilities, vegetable garden and fruit trees