The low-down on heat pumps
Heat pumps are now commonplace in New Zealand homes. People are happy with their purchase, but BRANZ research shows they aren’t being operated to perform as well as they might
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By Andrew Pollard – 1 February 2016, Build 152
Heat pumps are now commonplace in New Zealand homes. People are happy with their purchase, but BRANZ research shows they aren’t being operated to perform as well as they might
By Kevin Frank – 1 April 2019, Build 171, Feature article
Resolving firestopping compliance issues in existing buildings can be difficult. BRANZ research is helping bring consistency to the process of determining what is reasonable and practicable when undertaking building alterations.
By Ian Page – 1 October 2013, Build 138
A BRANZ project found that over 10% of owner-occupied housing is at risk should a fire break out. Several things can be done to help fireproof homes, and most are reasonably low cost.
By Amanda Robbins – 1 October 2008, Build 108
Although roof fire vents are used in New Zealand to remove smoke and heat from a building during a fire, there are currently no standards to ensure their ‘effectiveness’. a BRANZ research project aims to change this.
By Amanda Robbins, Nikki Buckett – 1 April 2014, Build 141
At present, it is unclear how people with disabilities cope when exiting a building in a fire. A current BRANZ research project is investigating the accessibility of emergency egress in commercial buildings to find answers.
By Peter Collier, Peter Whiting – 1 December 2008, Build 109
A research project has investigated the time it takes for a common type of household fire to become established.
By Greg Baker – 1 June 2010, Build 118
An on-going BRANZ and University of Canterbury research project will provide the tools necessary to keep New Zealand at the forefront of performance-based fire safety engineering.
By Ed Soja – 1 February 2012, Build 128
New Zealand doesn’t have a fire protection standard for community buildings such as marae and churches. BRANZ research has been looking at what sprinkler systems may be needed to protect these often historically or culturally important buildings.
By Greg Baker, Dr Colleen Wade – 1 October 2012, Build 132, Feature article
Research in New Zealand is leading to advances in fire engineering design and protection. We look at some of the work under way at BRANZ and the universities.
By Dr Colleen Wade – 1 February 2016, Build 152
BRANZ recently investigated the fire performance of HVAC ducting and pipe insulation, reviewing the fire test methods that evaluate how they perform in a fire.