Eco Design Advisors’ sustainable advice valued

By - , Build 124

A study into customer perceptions of the Eco Design Advisor service shows that sustainable housing advice is highly valued and influences people’s choices in renovation and new-home construction.

Figure 1: National survey findings on suitability of advice from Eco Design Advisors.

The Eco Design Advisor programme was set up by BRANZ in 2006 to provide free, independent, face-to-face advice on sustainable building and renovation options to homeowners, designers, community organisations, building contractors and developers. Eco Design Advisors currently operate in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty, Palmerston North, the Kapiti Coast, Hutt City and Nelson. The advisors also offer a web-based plan review service to Canterbury residents affected by the earthquakes.

Primary driver to make houses warmer

A survey of people who had received advice through the programme was undertaken over the summer of 2010–11. The survey found:

  • most homeowners were undertaking modifications to existing homes, although 9.8% were involved in new-home building projects
  • the primary motivating factor for the majority of participants was to make their homes warmer, while improving energy efficiency and reducing environmental impacts were secondary concerns, but still high-priority motivators
  • the advice resulted in real change, with 91.8% of participants reporting they either changed or intended to change their plans
  • the motivating factors changed depending on the region – in Tauranga, reducing running costs was an important factor, Nelson was particularly interested in solar hot water systems and passive solar design and Auckland was particularly concerned about mould and damp.
Figure 1: National survey findings on suitability of advice from Eco Design Advisors.

These findings confirm other research results that show that households focus on addressing the poor standard of insulation and low temperatures in homes. However, secondary drivers such as energy efficiency and concern for the environment are also important and are likely to influence the actions taken by people in addressing their primary motivation.

Participants very happy with the advice

The survey respondents were overwhelmingly positive about the suitability of the advice provided by the Eco Design Advisors (see Figure 1). The most useful advice dealt with:

  • ceiling insulation
  • underfloor insulation
  • bathroom extract ventilation
  • energy-efficient lighting
  • solar and heat pump hot water systems
  • double and secondary glazing
  • hot water cylinder wraps.

The survey identified very few gaps in the advice, and it appears the service provides the right depth of information. The most common gap was lack of advice on specific products and tradespeople to use for installation, something that is difficult for an independent advisory service to offer.

Real change but regional differences

The majority of participants (91.8%) indicated that they made or intended to make changes as a result of the advice (see Table 1).

The survey found some interesting regional differences in the uptake of advice. In Auckland, for example, there is greater take-up of water efficiency measures than in other parts of the country, and 26.1% of respondents from this region installed or intend to install a rainwater tank, and 19.3% difference is the prevalence of Auckland respondents who have installed or intend to install wall insulation (21.6%) or double/secondary glazing (27.3%), despite the fact that neither of these measures is cost-effective from a direct financial return perspective.

In Nelson, however, enthusiasm for thermal measures was at its highest. In this region, 79.2% of respondents installed or intend to install thick curtains/Roman blinds, and 70.8% installed or intend to install underfloor insulation. Underfloor vapour barriers, such as polythene groundcover, were installed or intended to be installed by 33.3%. Perhaps unsurprisingly given its excellent solar hot water subsidy scheme, Nelson had the highest proportion of respondents (29.2%) who installed or intend to install a solar or heat pump hot water system.

Uptake of heat pumps was the highest in Wellington, where 29.4% of respondents installed or intend to install these as a result of the advice. Accessing or intending to access government funding was also highest in Wellington (35.3%), and a quarter (26.4%) of Wellington respondents had changed or intended to change their behaviour.

Obstacles to implementation

The survey respondents also identified several obstacles that prevented them from implementing the advice. The most common obstacles were:

  • the cost of more sustainable products and systems
  • sourcing those products and systems (particularly in Auckland)
  • finding tradespeople (particularly in Auckland and Wellington).

The Eco Design Advisors service was made possible with funding from the Building Research Levy, the Sustainable Management Fund, EECA, Beacon Pathway, the Sustainable Living Education Trust and the Waitakere City, Auckland City, Hamilton City, Tauranga City/Western Bay of Plenty District, Kapiti Coast District, Hutt City, Wellington City, Nelson City and Queenstown Lakes District Councils.

Table 1: The top 15 changes that participants made or intended to make as a result of the advice.
Type of change Survey participants (%)
Ceiling insulation 59.6
Bulk underfloor insulation 47.3
Lined curtains/drapes/Roman blinds 45.9
Energy-efficient lighting 32.2
Hot water cylinder wrap/pipe lagging 30.1
Access government funding 25.3
Double or secondary glazing 24.0
Underfloor vapour barrier 23.3
Bathroom extract fan/outside venting 22.6
Reduced downlights 19.9
Efficient showerhead 19.9
Heat pump 19.2
Rainwater tank 18.5
Wall insulation 18.5
Solar or heat pump hot water system 17.1

For more

For further information, visit www.ecodesignadvisor.org.nz

Download the PDF

More articles about these topics

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

Figure 1: National survey findings on suitability of advice from Eco Design Advisors.

Advertisement

Advertisement