smartlivingspaces.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

We have had a warm summer here in New Zealand. I wonder how many people brought air conditioners this year. It seems to be a good company to invest in currently. But what about investing in designing our homes to not overheat by designing them smarter

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Insulation causes overheating! It doesn’t but we have had some NZ politicians say some really ill-founded things that have stirred up public sensationism. So just to clarify, insulation doesn’t cause overheating. Excessive solar gains do. And the sun doesn’t shine through our walls. #healthyhomes

submitted 4 days ago • 1 comment

Does our New Zealand Building Code create a home that aligns with the WHO organisation standards temperature range of 18 to 22 degrees celcuis when used a design guide? #healthyhomes

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Overheating is a real problem in New Zealand. We know that healthy homes can not get too cold, the World Healthy Organization specifies 18 degrees Celsius as a minimum and 22 degrees as a maximum. Does our NZBC align with the WHO recommendations? The answer will shock you. #healthyhomes

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

The problem with only focusing on insulation is that we ignore the energy use in a home. Energy use is the difference between the energy demand and the energy provision. Just a reminder, the section of the building code covering insulation is called H1 Energy Efficiency. Time to expand our focus.

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

We need the air in our homes to be replaced because it collects moisture and carbon dioxide. How often do we need a total airchange, thats a complete replacement of all the air in your home, to make it healthy. One change every 1. 3 hours 2. 2 hours 3.only changed when I am home 4. 24 hours

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Our NZ building code focusses on heat loss as an energy efficiency measure. Energy efficiency compliance only requires elements in your home to match your climate zone and minimum insulation value. Is heat loss the only area we need to use energy to create a healthy, comfortable functioning home?

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

How do you ensure that your new home stays at a comfortable humidity level. We don’t want a home that makes us sweat or too dry we get dehydrated. 1. Use a dehumidifier 2. Use an air conditioner 3. Have a ventilation system 4. Nothing, you just dress to the conditions. #healthyhome

submitted 10 days ago • 0 comments

We use timber to build most of our homes here in New Zealand. Did you know that the timber in your new home only has to be 80% dry before installing claddings/ roofing and the interior linings. That means that 20% of moisture in our structure is permitted to create a "dry" home. #healthyhome

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

All new homes in New Zealand have to have bathroom extracts and kitchen rangehoods installed. There are flow rates that are required as a minimum requirement. Is there a requirement to test those flow rates during the construction of your home? 1. Yes 2. No. #healthyhomes

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

Our new homes are pretty airtight, we don’t build draughty old Villas anymore. But is airtightness a good or a bad thing? What happens if airtightness can provide great benefits, but can also create great problems. Does our Building Code protect us from creating problems with airtightness………

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

What is your understanding of Code Compliant 1. A quality new home 2. A legally compliant new home 3. A healthy comfortable new home 4. Definitely of the above #healthyhome

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

How many of you who has recently built a house has had it energy modelled? Do you know what your heating and cooling loads created by the design are? Yes No #healthyhome

submitted 17 days ago • 0 comments

We are obsessed with talking about insulation here in New Zealand. So if we are reliant so heavily on insulation, we need to be aware of how much is actually going into our homes. We assume 88% for a new build as set out in the Building Code. But…. The reality is more like 66%.

submitted 18 days ago • 0 comments

With power prices set to increase this year, what steps are taking in your new or existing home to reduce cooling loads. 1. Opening the windows 2. Installing Passive shading 3. Running the Air Conditioner on low constantly 4. There is nothing I can do #healthyhomes

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

I love the movie Garbage Warrior. Mike Renolds, an Architect, experimented with creating energy efficient self-sufficient homes. One day he realised a conservatory caused the home to overheat so much a typewriter inside melted. “Thank god we didn’t fry a baby.” #healthyhomes

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments

Our homes have a tendency here in New Zealand to overheat in summer. So how do you cool your home. 1. Opening Windows and Doors 2. Air Conditioners 3. Ventilation System 4. External Shading 5. A combination of the above. Dm blog to understand the issues with some of these #architecture

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

The World Health Organization states that our homes should be between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius year round, the minimum temperatures in NZBC is 16 degrees Celsius. There is no maximin. …the law doesn’t set out the baseline performance criteria to make healthy homes legal.

submitted 21 days ago • 0 comments

What is the maximin temperature that you think our New Zealand Building Code specifies our homes are legally allow to reach 1. 20 degrees Celsius 2. 25 degrees Celsius 3. 30 degrees Celsius 4. Above 30 degrees Celsius

submitted 22 days ago • 0 comments

We remember the leaky building saga that rocked NZ in the 2000s. So how confident are you that that our current building code sufficiently addresses moisture issues to ensure that this will not happen again. The professional concerns around this might scare you a little. #healthyhomes

submitted 24 days ago • 0 comments

There is a perception that the Building Code creates a home that is a quality home. What is your understanding of what a Code Compliant Home really is? 1. Healthy Comfortable one 2. A Compliant legal one 3. A quality home 4. Something else. #architecture

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

Here in New Zealand, the general public commonly refer to Code Compliant Homes as a mark of quality. But what if I told you that this means that it simply has achieved the minimums that is required by law. Effectively it’s the worst preforming building legally able to be built. #buildingbetter

submitted 25 days ago • 0 comments

Insulation here in New Zealand is a commonly discussed topic. How much of an impact does insulation make if the comfort levels of you home? 1. Quite a lot 2. Average 3. Little or none at all. 4. I have no idea

submitted 27 days ago • 3 comments

Windows give you enough fresh air……or do they? Do you know that in NZ we rely on opening windows to replace the stale old air in our homes to “healthy” standards. Yet there is research that shows that this can be as ineffective for up to 90% of the year.

submitted 28 days ago • 0 comments

I design homes for people to live in, but seldom do I get to hear how well they are lived in. Do you live in a home that you run a dehumidifier in? If so I am curious to know old your home is. Is your home Less than 20 years old Between 50 and 20 years old Older than 50 years.

submitted 29 days ago • 0 comments

As an Architectural Designer I am always interested in how people really use their spaces and this is often linked to beliefs about how they should work. What is the single thing in your home that contributes most to it being a healthy home? Comment below. I would love to hear thoughts.

submitted 30 days ago • 0 comments

I am curious to know from all of you on here. If you are building a new home for the next chapter in your life, how large or small would it be? #newhome

submitted 38 days ago • 0 comments

Viewing recent events in LA, I feel its worth asking Whats the natural disaster you think you home needs to be most prepared for and designed with resistance to. 1. Fire 2. Earthquake 3. Flooding 4. Something else

submitted 49 days ago • 0 comments

Hi Bluesky Looking for some advice. I am wanting to understand how people perceive building better. Can you tell me.... What does High Performance Building mean to you? 1. More expensive Home 2. Healthier Home 3. Lower power bills? 4. Something else? Look forward to your answers!

submitted 60 days ago • 0 comments

Hi Blusky, I thought I would introduce myself for my first post. I am Sharon, an Architectural and Passive House Designer from New Zealand. Looking to connect with offsite, prefab, smart solutions and Energy Efficient solutions and companies. I look forward to getting to know you.

submitted 85 days ago • 0 comments