Is it 'Passive House' or 'Passivhaus'? That was one question I put to expat Kiwi, and architect Elrond Burrell. The main question though, is Passivhaus even relevant to New Zealand?

Elrond currently works as an Architect in the Herefordshire branch of Architype: http://www.architype.co.uk/

In this episode, we also cover:

• What is Passive House?
• How can designers and builders of high performance homes compete with the mass market?
• How important is indoor-outdoor flow and can you still achieve Passivhaus with it?
• Can Passivhaus be mass produced?
• What's the role of social media for building professionals?

Resources:

• The Whole House Book: http://amzn.to/16gXqdG (Amazon Affiliate Link)
• Brute Force Collaborative: http://www.bruteforcecollaborative.com/

Hot water is the second largest portion of energy use in New Zealand homes, accounting for around 30% of the average energy bill, that's equivalent to $650 per year. So what's the best system for your home?

My general advice:

1. Do you need a new system? Obviously if you're building new, then you've got a great opportunity. Otherwise, if it's not broken, does it need fixing?
2. Two main types, storage vs continuous flow. Storage tends to be better for any more than two people in the house
3. Four main fuel types
1. Wood
2. Sun
3. Electricity
4. Gas
4. Larger homes or long thin homes may benefit from more than one system

Resource:

http://www.energywise.govt.nz/products-and-appliances/water-heating

At the Prefab HIVE event a couple of weekends ago, I caught up with Jamie Harrington from Ekokit. I've had the pleasure of assessing some of Jamie's Hybrid Homes in Nelson, which are not only very high performing, they're also aesthetically stunning. 

WIth Ekokit, Jamie's team have applied the same sustainable philosophies to a modular, cost effective set of house plans.

Their features include:

• Modular design, allows owners to expand the home inline with family needs
• Non toxic materials
• Douglas fir timber
• Water efficient toilets and showers, including the Methven Kiri Satinjet, which boasts an impressive 8.5 L/min, 3 star WELS rating: http://www.methven.com/nz/range/kiri/satinjet-wall-shower-on-upswept-arm/tech-spec/
• Mohawk premium carpet made from recycled PET bottles: http://www.mohawkflooring.com/flooring-products/carpet/everstrand.aspx
• Laminated timber beam flooring system with poured and exposed concrete flooring
• High efficient LED lighting
• Very high levels on insulation, much higher than building code
• High performance, thermally broken, low-E, argon filled double glazing from APL: http://www.aplnz.co.nz/34/our-brands/thermal-heart 
• Quality control during construction

For more information and to contact Jamie, go to http://www.ekokit.co.nz

A few weeks ago now, I got up at 5 am to interview Ben, who lives in Hertfordshire in the UK. Ben has a blog and podcast called HousePlanningHelp.com and he shared with me his motivation, vision and plans for learning to build a good home in the UK. 

Listen in to find out what we have in common with people building and renovating houses on the other side of the world. What are some of the biggest issues for housing in the UK and how is it similar or different to NZ? And why should we all be following Wolfgang Feist?

Ben's own very good blog site can be found at: http://www.houseplanninghelp.com

You can also find Ben all over the web:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HousePlanningHelp
• Google+: https://plus.google.com/116757818387809474216/posts
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Houseplanhelp
• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/houseplanhelp/
• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/houseplanninghelp

Resources that Ben mentioned

The Sustainable Building Association: http://www.aecb.net/

Professor Wolfgang Feist:

• Passive House page on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house
• Wolfgang Feist on GreenSource: http://greensource.construction.com/people/2011/1102_Dr_Wolfgang_Feist.asp
• Wolfgang Feist on GreenBuildAdvisor.com: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/conversation-wolfgang-feist

Part 2 of my interviews from the Rebuild and Renovate Christchurch Home Show. This week I catch up again with Bob Burnett. Bob is Homestar trained Architectural Designer who I interviewed about thermal modelling in episode 14.

I also speak with Thomas van Raamsdonk from Pro Clima about airtightness, blower doors and how to seal a three dimensional joint in framing around a window sill, using one piece of tape.

Links:

• http://www.bbarc.com
• http://www.eversunhomes.co.nz
• http://www.proclima.co.nz
• http://vector.co.nz/solar