Building a new home is an exciting time filled with decisions on all sorts of things from paint and carpet to cladding and landscaping. Along with the traditional aesthetics, today’s new home building projects are also delving deeper into the long term functionality, safety and environmental issues that go along with building a new home.
Good insulation, low contaminants, energy efficiency, solar energy, natural light and breathability are all things that have moved to the forefront of the new home building process. There is now a demand for homes that will function as safe and healthy environments, ensuring the wellbeing of occupants for many years to come.
Some things to keep in mind when building a healthy home are:
Nature’s Free Resources
Bringing the outside in has always been popular, but now it’s more about working in harmony with the outdoors. Connecting with nature has become a priority, utilising the sun’s free energy and natural light, harnessing wind energy and collecting rainwater in a way that enhances the natural environment rather than overtaking or invading it.
Some examples include; concrete floors that trap heat from the sun during the day, large double/triple glazed windows that maximise natural light while minimising heat loss, accumulating solar energy by way of solar panel technology for full or supplementary electricity requirements or using rainwater collection methods to recycle water. It pays to think about what best suits your location, if in a particularly high rainfall area - water collection may be your priority, and try to make the most of it.
Insulation, Insulation, Insulation
Everyone knows insulation is key to a warmer, dryer and more energy efficient home. Good insulation means less unwanted heat loss, which leads to less overall energy required to heat the home. Cost-effective and easy to install, insulation is available in many different forms, some are even made from natural fibres or recycled materials offering an even greater eco-friendly element.
Well insulated New Zealand homes provide healthier overall environments for their occupants, reducing the occurrences of respiratory illness associated with damp and mildew and ensuring a comfortable home that is pleasurable to live in and easy to keep warm.
Increased Ventilation
Modern homes are built much more airtight than previous versions and while you might think this is great mid-winter when you are trying to keep warm, your home still needs to breathe in order to prevent moisture build up and maintain a healthy living environment. Fresh air needs to come in and stale moist air needs to go out.
Showers, cooking and even breathing generate moisture in the air. The New Zealand climate can also be a contributing factor, cold and wet conditions in alpine regions like Queenstown, particularly during the winter, mean it is often impractical to open doors and windows for adequate ventilation. Condensation builds up on windows can be an indicator of excess moisture levels, providing the perfect breeding ground for mould and mildew. It makes sense to invest in ventilation or heat recovery systems that efficiently remove old, moist air from the home and replace it with dryer air that is easier to heat.
Efficient Heating Methods
Selecting the right heating for your home is crucial to long term functionality and energy efficiency. A heat pump offers ease of use and good efficiency if used correctly, however, in colder climates like Queenstown it is necessary to check operating temperature ranges as some do not function well in below zero degree conditions. If you have access to a good source of firewood, a good quality, efficient wood burner can be an optimal source of dry heat.
An efficient heating system, combined with proper insulation and ventilation will support a warmer, healthier home all year round.
Looking ahead the team at JMI expect to see a natural evolution towards new home builds that focus more on the wellbeing of the occupants and the planet and wholeheartedly support this movement, building healthier homes is investing in the future. If you are looking for Queenstown builders with valuable local knowledge contact the team at JMI Construction today.
