The North Island's most sustainable and energy-efficient home is set to be completed in Papamoa this week.
The North Island's most sustainable and energy-efficient home is set to be completed in Papamoa this week.
The 10 Homestar home built over four months was constructed in Papamoa's Palm Springs by Belvedere Group, and is the first house in the North Island to achieve the highest rating through Homestar - a number 10.
Another home in Christchurch also recently reached 10 stars.
Homestar is an independent system that rates the health, comfort and efficiency of New Zealand's homes on a scale from one to 10. About 200 Homestar projects have been set up in New Zealand since its launch in 2010 but none has been able to achieve a perfect 10, until now.
The house is the brainchild of Belvedere Group's Ecostar Homes team; Trevor Wilkinson (managing director), Paul Chapman (senior quantity surveyor and Homestar assessor) and Iain Gleaves (commercial manager).
The 230sq m Papmoa home, which is valued at $875,000 for the house and land package, features photovoltaic panels for solar energy, rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling system and a smart piping system that captures passive heat to warm the home.
The home located at 85 Palm Springs Boulevard, Papamoa Beach will be up to view this weekend, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, from 10am to 4pm each day.
Paul Chapman, senior quantity surveyor for The Belvedere Group, said most new houses would achieve a three to four Homestar rating and generally new homes were built to meet minimum building code requirements.
"It's not rocket science, or expensive, to exceed this minimum code to achieve a six Homestar rating. It's all down to the design, incorporating the wider (140mm framing) and upgrading insulation ratings beyond those required by minimum code."
The house was hopefully the first for many more for the Bay of Plenty with the company already working with two clients in Te Puke and The Lakes to build similar homes, he said.
Mr Chapman said the 16 photovoltaic panels on the roof would generate about 6kW of peak power and charge a battery stack in the garage that would run for about eight hours.
Paul Chapman, senior quantity surveyor from The Belvedere Group, at a 10 Homestar-rated energy efficient house in Papamoa. Photo/Andrew Warner
Features of the 10 Homestar home include: A "hydronic" underfloor heating system. Photovoltaic (PV) energy system and solar hot water. Fully insulated concrete-slab edge to minimise heat loss. Wider 140mm exterior framing, to allow room for extra insulation that exceeds NZ Building Code standards. Rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling system. Leak detection system. A Lifemark 5-star rating for safety and accessibility, "futureproofing" the home. During the build period, a strict waste management plan and a recycling programme will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
