Hon David Parker
Minister of Energy
Minister Responsible for Climate Change Issues
Clayton Cosgrove
Minister for Building and Construction

21 July 2007

Minister launches new Smarter Homes website

A new website, designed to help New Zealanders live in healthier, cosier and more cost-effective homes, was launched today by Energy Minister David Parker.

Mr Parker says the Smarter Homes website (www.smarterhomes.org.nz) offers advice on how to have a home that’s more sustainable, both environmentally and financially.

"This is about bringing the information together, so it's easier for New Zealanders to make smarter choices for themselves, and for the environment. It has advice that everyone can use, whether you want to know about low-toxic materials for your latest DIY project, or how to design your new house so it uses less water and power."

Building and Construction Minister Clayton Cosgrove says the website supports recent initiatives on new insulation requirements and on making it easier and cheaper to install solar water heating systems.

“Heating your home doesn’t have to cost the earth if you make smart choices. Whether you live in a modest flat or a mansion, you can take the axe to your power bill by doing a range of easy things, such as closing curtains at sunset and choosing energy efficient appliances.”

"This website is another example of how the Prime Minister's drive to make New Zealand more sustainable will not only have huge benefits for the environment, it will improve people's comfort and health, while at the same time lowering their gas and power bills."

Mr Cosgrove said research showed better insulated, warmer homes also improve health: "People in insulated homes have fewer days off work and school, they visit the doctor or hospital less often and their general health improves."

Smarter Homes has been designed to cut through all the information clutter when making decisions about building, renovating or buying or renting a home. It includes a HomeSmarts tool that can be customised so users can find out the best way to tackle building projects or problems in their home. The website has been developed by the Ministry for the Environment, in partnership with the Department of Building and Housing, Consumers’ Institute and BeaconPathway Ltd.

From July 1, the site will be administered by the Department of Building and Housing.

Smarter Homes Media Backgrounder, June 2007

What is the purpose of the Smarter Homes Website?

The website has been designed to help New Zealanders build and renovate more smartly. By doing so they can enjoy the benefits of healthier, more energy efficient and cheaper-to-run homes. The website gives clear and objective advice on how to design, build and renovate homes that are “smarter” in every sense of the word.

What is a smart home?

A smart home creates less waste, uses less energy, costs less to run and is warmer, drier, and healthier to live in. Smart homes last longer, and are a good investment.

Smart homes need not cost more, and in many cases will save money over time. For example, orienting a new home to capture the free heat and light of the sun is a simple and cost-free thing to do at the design and construction phase. Adding insulation when re-lining walls during renovation will add little to the total cost of the work, but will reduce annual heating bills and increase the warmth of the home for years to come. Features like double-glazing or a solar hot water system are more expensive initially, but these costs can be recovered through lower energy bills, and the benefits are equally greater.

It’s also hard to put a dollar value on the improved comfort, warmth and health that can result for New Zealand families.

Why do we need the Smarter Homes website?

Everyone wants to live in a healthy, warm and dry home that’s affordable to run; and we all want to play our part in reducing environmental damage.

But the sheer variety of available information in the marketplace means we often don’t know where to start. Choosing the smartest products, systems, procedures and practices can be challenging. And of course, each home is as different as the needs, interests, values and priorities of the people who live in them.

Smarter Homes has been designed to cut through all the information clutter when making decisions about building, renovating or buying or renting a home. It provides authoritative, objective advice, enabling people to make the choices that are right for them. It includes a HomeSmarts Calculator so that users can customise their searches and information needs according to budget priorities, current renovation or building projects, and major problems they want to solve in their homes. The calculator also offers an opportunity to prioritise these issues and problems by running a simple home health-check.

Who is Smarter Homes for?

Smarter Homes is for anyone who owns or rents a home, is looking to buy or build a new house or is renovating their existing home. It provides authoritative and objective information to help in the decision-making process when selecting materials or choosing a new home and provides links to information that will help with the technical details involved.

What information does Smarter Homes provide?

Smarter Homes provides information on energy efficiency, water efficiency and passive design solutions to make the most of the sun’s free heat and energy. It offers advice on how to design a healthy house that has lower energy bills each month, selecting water and energy efficient appliances and heating systems, and reducing moisture (and so mould and mildew) in the home. It provides wide-ranging tips from simple things people can do to improve their home at little or no cost, to easy fixes and worthwhile investments that need the input of building professionals. The site also gives advice on landscaping, selecting materials and construction methods.

There are plenty of examples, case-studies and tools to help people make the right choices for their specific projects.

Smarter Homes was developed to form a wider resource in combination with two other websites: Consumer Build (www.consumerbuild.org.nz) – a one-stop-shop consumer advice on building, renovating and maintaining homes; and Level (www.level.org.nz) - a more technical resource for industry professionals which will be launched by BRANZ Ltd at the same time as Smarter Homes).

What is the link between buildings, human health and the environment?

Housing significantly affects the environment. Residential buildings in New Zealand consume 12% of total nation’s energy and a large proportion of water. The materials used in homes, from framing timber to carpets, draw on natural resources; and the manufacture, transportation and eventual disposal of these materials all place pressure on the environment.

But it’s not only the environment that suffers from poorly designed, built and inefficient homes. Cold, uninsulated and badly ventilated homes increase the risk of respiratory diseases and can affect residents’ learning, work and health.

Who’s behind Smarter Homes?

Smarter Homes was commissioned by the Ministry for the Environment and is a collaborative project between key agencies from the public and private sector. It was developed by Beacon Pathway Ltd and overseen by a Board drawn from Ministry for the Environment, Department of Building and Housing, Consumers’ Institute and Building Research. Each organisation brings something unique to the site:

 Ministry for the Environment

Leading on environmental sustainability.

The Ministry’s engagement with this project stems from the need to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, to reduce waste and to manage water resources efficiently. This work has been prioritised by the Prime Minister who wants New Zealanders to develop strategies to ensure more environmentally sustainable lifestyles. One of the Ministry’s programmes is targeted at helping New Zealanders to improve household sustainability. This website will provide good tips for a householder on how to reduce energy use, and how to help the environment by using more renewable and efficient resources now and into the future.

 The Consumers’ Institute

Providing consumers with objective, authoritative facts, tips, case-studies and advice.

The involvement of Consumers’ Institute is a guarantee of the site’s objective credibility and consumer advocacy; it does not promote particular companies and their products or systems. Consumers’ Institute provides clear, well-researched information so that consumers can make informed choices about improving their homes and home-life. Energy and water efficiencies are key measures in many of the Institute’s extensive product testing and recommendations. The new Smarter Homes website complements ConsumerBuild, a website that provides independent advice on building, buying, renovating and maintaining your home.

 Department of Building and Housing

“Raising the bar” in home design and construction practice.

Smarter Homes promotes better design and construction of homes, furthering the key goal of the Department of Building and Housing: that New Zealanders have access to quality homes and buildings that meet their needs and reflect our environment. The Prime Minister and the Minister for Building and Construction recently announced new insulation requirements to achieve warmer homes with lower running costs and moves to make it easier and cheaper to install solar hot water heating systems. The Department is also proposing that hot water systems in new houses be required to be more energy efficient.

 Beacon Pathway

Ensuring information is backed by sound scientific research.

A key partner in the project is Beacon Pathway, a research consortium that’s working to find affordable, attractive ways to make New Zealand homes more sustainable. Information has also been provided by researchers from BRANZ Ltd, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), the Department of Building and Housing, and other organisations and agencies committed to researching best building practice.

 Building Research

Investing for New Zealand’s construction future.

Building Research invests the Building Research Levy under the guidance of a Board drawn from the sector, to generate the new knowledge needed to enhance our built environment, and to transfer the knowledge to those creating, building and managing our built environment, and so to assist New Zealand society.

ENDS

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