04/06/2022
Week decision making and a kick in the guts to the suppliers who have committed to the original informed November time line 🤬
Open letter from the Superhome Movement to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
MBIE is proposing to extend the transition period for adopting new insulation requirements for housing in the building code (Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 and Verification Method H1/VM1). The proposed change would extend the transition period for 6 months to 1 May 2023.
Our view is that there is no legitimate reason for this and continuing to build under-specced unhealthy homes that will be here for 90+ years, burdening current and future generations by being difficult and expensive to heat. There are currently 49,000 homes built per annum and this will mean another 24,500 homes that will not meet World Health Organization (WHO) recommended internal temperatures, will consume energy unnecessarily and produce over 5 times the carbon emissions required to meet the Paris agreement. Within 10-20 years these new homes will require expensive retrofits to meet our international climate obligations and in some cases, this will not even be possible. When the latest International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report was announced a few weeks ago, the message was clear “it’s now or never” if we are to have a chance to avoid further serious climate change and avoid crisis tipping points. The industry and residents cannot accept poor standards any longer, as research shows poor housing results in dyer life-changing health issues. Improving how we build is crucial to solving this health crisis and providing a better healthier future for kiwis that is both financially positive and climate positive. The current changes are already too little too late. We need to move faster and more decisively to help our whanau into homes that are healthy for people and the planet. When the building code consultation was received, feedback overwhelmingly called for improvements in line with international standards. Instead, in reality, the proposed changes are a very small first step and still a long way off this. If these first baby steps are delayed, it does not bode well for timely and appropriate implementation of more significant wider-reaching future changes that are what's required.
Industry capability and supply issues.
Superhome Movement members are ready and capable now and are adapting to potential supply delays by pre-ordering well in advance. The current project pipeline would mean projects submitted in November 2022 would not be consented to until early 2023 and things like windows and additional insulation would not be required until the 2nd quarter of 2023 at the earliest. There are undoubtedly some general material supply issues affecting the industry. However, products and materials relevant to the H1 changes are not affected by this. GIB is required for any dwelling, whether it's warm and energy-efficient or a code minimum cold damp energy-hungry build. We have heard from the Window and Glass Association of NZ (WGANZ) and others, that the industry is rapidly gearing up, and WGANZ say that they will be ready by November 2022. Suppliers of insulation assure us that they can supply what's required. In fact, most standard homes could have the additional insulation added after practical completion in any case, as they predominately have trusses. Superhome Movement Charitable Trust has offered to provide CPD training for the current and future changes that will be required.
Please like or email 'now' to [email protected] to show your support! and we encourage you to also make your own personal submissions to MBIE.
Please do make your own submission. Cut and paste ours if you like or parts of it. The consultation closes on 13 June 2022, 5pm and link is here. https://lnkd.in/dTtuHh9c
A copy of the MBIE communication is linked here.https://https://lnkd.in/djMFMDg3
