Now in its third anniversary year, the Superhome movement is growing faster than its founders ever anticipated with grassroots consumers more receptive than ever to its message.
That message is that New Zealand’s building code is 20 years out of date and sets such a low standard that it is putting our health and economic stability at risk.
The movement’s co-founder Bob Burnett says there is widely known and accepted research into sub-optimal New Zealand housing quality and its adverse effects on our health.
“New Zealand has the highest rate of childhood asthma in the world with 30% of our seven-yearolds being afflicted.
“Research has shown that our cold damp houses are largely to blame, yet still this has not led to any government action to lift the code,” he says.
“With New Zealand having one of the largest home sizes in the developed world, people think energy efficiency doesn’t fit into the budget, but we need to think differently about home size.
“With better attention to smart design, a family can downsize by as little as three to five metres off the floor area of an average family home to afford the additional $5000 to $6000 needed to lift standards to build a Superhome, (any home with a minimum 6 Homestar efficiency rating).
Bob says more and more people are getting in touch every day, reflecting a growing awareness that having a Superhome is both possible and affordable.
“Superhome movement participants are taking action now, driving change, as we cannot wait for government to change the 2004 building code,” Bob says.
The Superhome movement has stayed true to its ‘not-for-profit’ roots, being an industry-led group committed to sharing ideas on how best to build affordable, comfortable, healthy and energy efficient homes.
It operates as a nationwide network focused on achieving change for the better in the New Zealand building industry by connecting designers, builders, researchers, educators, government and industry experts.
Bob Burnett says the movement promotes open source access to great design ideas, technologies and building techniques.
“This year’s Superhome tours are a fantastic opportunity for both consumers and those working in the industry to learn more about what’s involved in designing and building warmer, dryer, healthier homes,” he says.
“Superhome across New Zealand will open their doors to show the best of what is being achieved in energy efficient design and sustainable building practice.”
This year’s open home tours are taking place across New Zealand, starting in Wanaka and Queenstown in May, before the focus shifts to Christchurch in June, Wellington in August and Auckland in September. In Christchurch, a series of workshops is also scheduled to be held following the tours.
The Christchurch City Council has been a strong supporter of this year’s event through its Innovation and Sustainability Fund, providing assistance towards Homestar rating assessments.
The Superhome movement is an industry-led group committed to sharing ideas on how best to build affordable, comfortable, healthy and energy efficient homes.
All participating homes have been Homestar rated, meaning they have been independently and comprehensively assessed for health, warmth and energy efficiency.
Superhome featuring in the tours are Homestar 6 or above, much higher quality than a standard new home built to code minimum.
While the Superhomes themselves will be the stars of these tours, they also represent the expertise of all those involved in their creation including many of New Zealand’s leading designers, builders, subcontractors and suppliers.
Another exciting development for the Superhome movement this year is the work underway to develop the Superhome housing performance dashboard, an evidence-based tool for measuring the impact of energy efficient design on health, the environment and economic well-being.
“It is a world class tool that will be useful in all areas of the building, design and housing sectors and will influence future code changes. We have been actively working on funding and proposals have support from Ara Institute of Canterbury, EECA, BRANZ, the Christchurch City Council, Sustainable Engineering Ltd and others.”
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