Building standards access and updates

Some key building standards can now be read online for free while others are about to be updated.

The Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has sponsored some key building-related standards so they can be read online at no charge. They are:

• NZS 3902:2004 Housing, alterations and small buildings contract
• NZS 4121:2001 Design for access and mobility: Buildings and associated facilities
• NZS 4218:2009 Thermal insulation – Housing and small buildings
• NZS 4514:2009 Interconnected smoke alarms for houses
• NZS 8500:2006 Safety barriers and fences around swimming pools, spas and hot tubs
• SNZ HB 3604:2011 Timber-framed buildings – Selected extracts from NZS 3604:2011

Some other key building standards are in the process of being updated and are now open for comment. They include:

• NZS 3602:2003 Timber and wood based products for use in buildings
• NZS 3640:2003 Chemical preservation of timber and wood based products

You can find more details on the Standards New Zealand website.

MBIE has also launched a new search engine, Building CodeHub, to help people find the latest building rules and guidance information.

 

 

Green housing winners in sustainable awards

People behind sustainable housing initiatives did well in the recent NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards.

Winner of the Sustainability Superstar award was Bob Burnett of Bob Burnett Architecture. Bob designed New Zealand’s first 10-star Homestar rated homes. He also founded the Superhome Movement, promoting energy efficient, sustainable homes.

Vector won the Revolutionising Energy award. The company partnered with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei on a 30-home residential development for first-home buyers that includes a networked system of solar panels and batteries. Networking means that individual residents can share excess power with others in the community. In the first five months following installation, 47% of the community’s energy needs were met by onsite generation.

 

 

Power system can handle solar PV growth

Research shows New Zealand’s electricity system can handle a significant increase in solar PV installations.

Transpower recently issued a discussion document Solar PV in New Zealand. The document looks at research into how the quickly-growing number of grid-connected solar PV systems might impact on the national electricity grid.

The research was done because rooftop solar PV electricity is different from
electricity generated in other ways. Small solar PV installations are widely spread out across the country and are not as easy to manage from a system level
compared to a single big generator such as a gas-fired power station.

Transpower stress-tested the system against a scenario with a substantial amount of solar PV in New Zealand. Their findings: “We know it is already in a good
position to enable an increase in solar PV in our communities now and in the
future.”

Some of the issues that need to be considered if there is a big growth in solar generation include:

• There will be a huge increase in demand for electricity from other sources at night, when people who use solar power during the day switch to power from the grid after sunset. Can enough electricity from other sources be appropriately supplied to meet this demand?
• If there is a failure in part of the power system, can it recover to a steady, stable state if there is a lot of solar PV in the mix?
• If there is lower demand for electricity from the grid and more local supply from solar PV, will some regional parts of the grid be harder to manage?

The study showed that the core transmission network can accommodate significant new solar PV. This is because of its ability to accommodate two-way power flows (north-to-south and south-to-north) and for hydro generation to cover short-term variations in generation from other sources.

 

Net zero energy visitor accommodation

A Glenorchy visitor complex set to open using net zero energy has put the details of its construction online.

A visitor accommodation complex set to open in 2018 amid the mountains of Glenorchy aims to use just half the energy and water of similar facilities. It aims for net zero energy – generating as much energy as it uses. And it has been built using building materials carefully researched and selected for their sustainability.

The project’s design aims to achieve the Living Building Challenge net zero energy building certification – one of the toughest measures of environmental sustainability.

A high level of thermal performance is delivered by structural insulating panels. These 142 mm thick panels have a core of insulating foam, and can deliver a result significantly higher than building requirements.

Other building materials include reclaimed wood from agricultural buildings.

The materials used and how they were selected have been set out on the project’s website.

You can find more details here.