Media Release
9 August 2012

Auckland family builds NZ’s first passive house

A Glendowie family has finished building New Zealand's first ‘Passive House' and according to experts, it could be the most energy efficient house in the country.

Philip Ivanier and his family are the first people in New Zealand to have finished building a house using the very high ‘passivehaus’ performance standards, developed in Germany in the 1980’s, which focus not just on energy efficiency but also on comfort and health. It is only a matter of paperwork before the house’s certification is completed.

“After the first week of living in our new house we used hardly any energy from the grid,” says Philip. “We urge others to incorporate these healthier and more energy efficient building standards and elements into their new builds. We’re also really happy that Auckland Council is using the learnings from our project as a case study in guidelines such as the Auckland Design Manual where it will illustrate best practice and innovation.”

There are over 30,000 Passive House buildings worldwide which include special insulation, high performance windows and a membrane that stops draughts.

According to Paula Hugens, a Certified Passive House Designer: “Having studied, and been involved in, many other energy efficiency projects around the country I am confident that this is, by far, the most efficient to date. We recently completed a blower door test on the house and it was also easily the most airtight building in New Zealand documented to date.”

According to Auckland Council eco-design advisor Eion Scott: "We are pleased to see people like Philip and his family who want to push the boundaries and build energy efficient homes. It is one of the ways we can help realise one of our key goals in the Auckland Plan, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."

For advice on eco building or to arrange a free visit from an Eco Design Advisor, visit www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/ecodesign (Auckland) or www.ecodesignadvisor.org.nz (national) or freephone 0508 326337 (0508 ECODESIGN). More information about Philip Ivanier’s house is on the blog http://passivehouse1nz.blogspot.com. More information on passive house in general can be found through the websites www.phinz.org.nz and www.passivehouse.org.nz .

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