Consumer knowledge about building

By - , Build 180

How much do consumers know about building? If they were better informed, would they drive a lift in the quality and performance of our houses? A BRANZ research project reviewed what we know about consumer thinking.

Figure 1: The sources of information consumers in one study used for a house refurbishment/retrofit. (Source: BRANZ Study Report SR419.)

THE CONTACT POINT between designers, builders and their clients (consumers) is a critical one for building houses that are energy-efficient, low-carbon, resilient, accessible, warm, dry and healthy. Informed consumers could drive improvements if they knew the right questions to ask or where to go for accurate information.

A BRANZ research project aimed to provide a roadmap for an evidence-based and coordinated approach to consumer education and information, identifying the most effective role for BRANZ.

Stage 1 of the project analysed the research already undertaken in this area, identified the organisations involved and looked for gaps. The findings have been published in BRANZ Study Report SR451 Mapping the consumer landscape.

Lots of research into consumer information

Over 30 research projects in New Zealand have involved a survey, focus groups and/or interviews of homeowners (consumers) to find their knowledge, opinions and experiences. BRANZ itself has carried out over 20. Some research has been wide ranging and some focused narrowly on topics such as heat pump use or water harvesting.

Consumer opinions and preferences have also been recorded indirectly by finding what builders and designers are asked for by their clients.

Common themes emerge:

  • There is compelling evidence that the upfront cost of building work is one of the main drivers for consumers. Little thought is given to the ongoing operating costs of a house.
  • Comfort and health are more important to consumers than efficiency.
  • Consumers are mostly interested in what they can see – such as kitchen or bathroom fixtures and fittings – rather than invisible elements such as wall insulation.
  • Building consent authority inspections are often misperceived as a quality assurance mechanism. There are indications that consumers see the Building Code as a high-quality solution rather than the minimum base to work from.
  • There appears to be broad acceptance of houses being built to comply with the Building Code but no widespread demand for houses built beyond Code minimums. Many consumers believe that compliance with the Building Code indicates a high-performing house, when it is the legal minimum.
  • On the occasions when consumers do ask for something outside standard offerings or beyond the Building Code, they sometimes run into builder resistance.
  • A review of all the research finds no strong or consistent consumer demand for more knowledge about general building performance.

Building-related information for consumers

Many hundreds of sources provide information about house building in New Zealand – Figure 1 gives a few examples. There is plain-English information available on almost every topic and particularly good information about:

  • regulatory issues – MBIE/Building Performance, local councils, BRANZ websites
  • consumer protection – Consumer New Zealand (largely behind a paywall), MBIE, BRANZ Weathertight website
  • passive design and energy efficiency – EECA/Energywise, BRANZ Level website, Consumer New Zealand
  • weathertightness – MBIE/Building Performance, BRANZ Weathertight website.

While there is plenty of information available, it is widely scattered. It is difficult for consumers to judge whether they have found the best or most up-to-date information available. The problem is around ease and convenience of access.

Figure 1: The sources of information consumers in one study used for a house refurbishment/retrofit. (Source: BRANZ Study Report SR419.)

What New Zealand consumers need

Research has indicated some specific areas where consumers need to know more:

  • Building beyond Building Code minimums – there is little understanding about this or why they should consider it.
  • The division of roles and responsibilities of those involved in building a house and practical guidance on dealing with disputes.
  • New-build quality and weathertightness – in a BRANZ survey, two-thirds of industry practitioners said they have seen weathertightness problems in houses less than 10 years old. Consumers need to understand weathertightness and build quality.
  • Maintenance – BRANZ House Condition Surveys consistently find owners are not spending enough to keep their homes in good condition.
  • Medium-density housing – this will form a significant proportion of future housing, yet many consumers have a poor understanding of it.

Statistics show changing consumer preferences

Some information is reaching consumers and driving decision making:

  • Between the BRANZ House Condition Surveys of 2000 and 2015, the proportion of:
    • owner-occupied houses with heat pumps rose from almost 0% to 46%
    • houses using open fires for heating fell from 24% to 6%
    • houses using portable LPG heaters fell from 20% to 6%
    • houses with ceiling insulation thicker than 100 mm grew from 2% to 53%.
  • Domestic photovoltaic (PV) installations have grown from the low thousands in 2010 to 25,125 at the start of March 2020.
  • LED lighting sales have grown significantly while sales of incandescent bulbs have fallen.

One-stop shared resource would help

Building information already available from many sources could be brought together into a convenient and reliable one-stop shop with both digital and printed information.

A one-stop resource should involve a partnership between BRANZ, the building industry, government and probably other bodies such as Consumer New Zealand. One model is Your Home, an Australian industry and government collaboration whose website (www.yourhome.gov.au) gets over 1 million visitors per year. Information should:

  • take account of cost sensitivity by prioritising actions giving high returns for little or no additional cost
  • emphasise health and comfort benefits rather than efficiency or performance.

There were frequent comments in many pieces of research that government intervention may be the most effective approach to drive better home performance.

Simply making information available is not enough. Interventions must consider the social environment, attitudes and skill levels. People need to be empowered, rather than just told what to do. (See BRANZ Research Now: Changing behaviour #1 Strategies for changing behaviour, www.branz.co.nz/pubs/research-now.)

For more

For the full study report, see www.branz.co.nz/sr451.

Download the PDF

More articles about these topics

Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

Figure 1: The sources of information consumers in one study used for a house refurbishment/retrofit. (Source: BRANZ Study Report SR419.)

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