This website is best viewed on a newer browser than the one you are using. Learn about upgrading your browser (opens in a new window/tab)
Welcome to BRANZ Build. Skip to main content.
Showing results 1-10 of 15
Order by:
As electricity shortages and increasing energy costs hit home, interest is growing in renewable energy sources, like the sun. A recent 3-year study identified some issues around solar water heating and found the key is getting the installation right.
Correct positioning and good installation of solar collector panels are essential for an effective and efficient solar water heating system.
Developers subdividing land and owners commissioning new homes have one chance to get the basic solar design principles right. Siting and designing new dwellings can be done cost-effectively and will substantially increase performance over a dwelling’s lifetime.
Despite people’s reluctance to install solar water heaters, a well installed system can now achieve reliable performance levels with savings of around 75% on water heating.
A BRANZ study has some answers to improve understanding of barriers and enablers for installing photovoltaics in new and existing housing.
Significant performance improvements can be achieved affordably in houses by designing above the New Zealand Building Code minimum requirements. So, where is a good place to start to improve the liveability of a house?
An Auckland architecture practice supports a recent call for New Zealanders to take more control over their own energy needs, and is walking the talk at its own premises.
A new research programme being undertaken by BRANZ is looking at how well solar water heating works in practice in New Zealand.
Some interim results are now available from the BRANZ ‘solar walls in schools’ project, introduced in Build October/november 2008. These results are from Aurora College in Invercargill.
The article Back to solar design basics in Build 178 looked at the principles of designing for the sun in new suburbs and new house construction. In this follow-up article, we look at what is happening in practice and the costs of getting it wrong.
