Plugging the Leaks

Andrew Eagles from the New Zealand Green Building Council commented on LinkedIn earlier this year, that if we plugged all the thermal leaks in our homes, we wouldn’t need to increase our power generation capacity. This would be because we would be making more effective use of our current capacity.

Healthy Buildings and Energy Efficient buildings have different focuses. It can be argued that one is focused on people’s health and the other on our planet’s wellbeing. There are, however, commonalties. So, it is possible to have Architecture that supports both People and Planet.

So often I hear insulation used in reference to H1 of the New Zealand Building Code. This section of the code is actually called “Energy Efficiency in Buildings”. We need to think beyond insulation if we are to truly meet our building for climate change targets and improve the energy efficiency and indoor health of both existing and new buildings.

When I brought my home, an uninsulated 1940s state house, I used to sit watching TV on a winters evening wearing a beanie, gloves, and scarf. My electric blanket on my bed would win me over around 7pm, so evenings were short, and I often got sick. As I started to tell this story I realised that sadly this is true for many people. The reason for this was simple, at the time I couldn’t afford a big power bill to compensate for a very leaky building.  As our ability to afford energy is challenged, we compensate at the expense of our health.

I was a 34-year-old professional Architectural Designer on an average wage. This isn’t an issue of poverty; this is a reality for many who live in energy leaky homes. Happily, I renovated my little home, and today it is now equally compliant with the insulation levels of the current code, with the exception of the windows.

And while a code compliant home built today, with better windows, would certainly be an improvement on what I have, it still does leave a lot to be desired in terms of a healthy constant 20°C temperature with energy bills that are efficient and affordable. A year-round indoor temperature should be between 18 and 22°C This is the range that is deemed to be healthy standards by WHO (World Health Organisation).

As power prices are set to rise, we need to reduce our energy use by careful consideration and accurate calculation right from the start. Most of the energy we use in our homes is used for water heating and space heating. The leakier our homes are with gaps in junctions, non-airtight linings and insulation cold spots, the more space heating we require. The less efficient our hot water fittings, fixtures and pipework, the more we waste useful heat. The less we recycle heat in our homes in winter and the less we consider shading in summer, the more energy our homes need to consume for some degree of internal comfort.

Better thermal efficiencies are created by designing and building homes with performance-based energy calculations rather than prescribed or schedule insulation values. Better consideration of junctions that are thermally vulnerable (thermal bridges) go a long way to ensure continued energy efficiency and healthy indoor temperatures.

But this all needs to be part of the design right from the start. There is no cheap retrofit fix that an occupant and tenant can do to truly make homes healthier and more efficient. The secret to affordable healthy energy efficient homes is in the design stage.

The result will be tangible in the monthly power bill, but it’s the improved health and comfort that will affect us the most.

H1 is Energy Efficiency in buildings. Let stop talking about insulation and start talking about better energy performance. We can make a start by plugging the leaks.