In July this year, Building & Construction Minister Chris Penk and MBIE announced changes to NZBC H1 Energy Efficiency requirements with the aim of;
- better balancing upfront building costs and longer-term benefits, and
- improving consistency and certainty of compliance and consenting.
The Schedule Method will be removed from the Building Code Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods for Energy Efficiency by the end of 2025 and designers will have a transition time of 12 months to adjust to the changes.
The overall Building Code energy efficiency and insulation requirements are staying the same, so our homes and buildings will still be built to the existing standards. The Calculation and Modelling methods are two other ways of complying with Building Code insulation requirements, and are more flexible and adaptable to suit each new home.
CALCULATION METHOD
The calculation method compares a proposed building with a reference building (which the minimum construction R-Values of each building element are applied to). The whole building must perform at least as well as the reference building, but the insulation level of any individual building element can be above or below the reference building. Higher insulation in one element can be used to compensate for lower insulation in another.
There are some limitations with the calculation method:
- The calculation method can only be used where glazing is 40% or less of the total wall area.
- The construction R-Value for roofs, walls and floors in the proposed building must be at least 50% of the construction R-Value of the corresponding building element in the reference building.
MODELLING METHOD
The Modelling Method is used to assess the energy performance of a proposed building by using a simulation of the building to predict its space heating loads and cooling loads. This is compared with the space heating loads and cooling loads of a reference building that is the same shape, dimensions, and orientation as the proposed building, but has building elements with construction R-Values from H1/AS1. Modelling Method requires highly detailed calculations that requires certified software.
HOW PREMIER INSULATION CAN HELP
We are proud to offer in-house H1 compliance support, including free a H1 Calculation service. We can also coordinate Modelling Method compliance, however this is outsourced and will often carry a cost which we would need to pass on.
H1 Calculations can provide good value solutions as you can off-set more expensive compliance options to balance the overall heat loss. To get the best value, you need to know the costs of products and installed solutions – and that’s where our service sets us apart.
We are the only insulation manufacturer/supplier that;
- Manufacturers and distributes both Glasswool and Polyester insulation ranges.
- We’re a one-stop shop regardless of the insulation type you wish to use.
- Operates a nationwide installer network. We know the installed costs, and we can control the quality of the insulation installation.
- Offers the best value insulation ranges in NZ Polyester or Glasswool, Premier Insulation offers the best value insulation solutions.
We produce our H1 Calculations in-house. All we need is a full set of plans that are ready to go to Consent. Let us know if there are any solutions you want ruled in or out. These could include;
- The level of thermal comfort your client wants to achieve (good-better-best)
- Under-slab insulation
- Glazing specifications
- Polyester or Glasswool insulation
Most often we will look to minimize the cost of compliance by limiting the under-slab insulation and the glazing – insulation is comparatively cheap. We can usually supply H1 Calculations within 5-7 days, but we can rush the odd one through if needed.
We can also help you with;
- H1 compliance training
- Writing specifications, and checking plans and specs before Consent
- Council RFI’s
- Installation Sign-Off and Reports