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Building and housing

Smarter homes

Smarter Homes is a one-stop information resource about making homes ‘smarter’ and more sustainable. A ‘smarter’ home is healthier, warmer, more affordable, attractive, and better for the environment.

The site has information about siting and designing your house to capture energy from the sun, landscaping, choosing materials, constructing your house, and using energy and water efficiently. It will be helpful for people building new homes, as well as those renovating and doing maintenance. It includes ideas for renters, landlords and homeowners. Smarter Homes focuses on providing credible information to anyone wanting to live in a more sustainable way.

Here are some tips from Smarter Homes:

  • insulate your home so it stays warm in winter and cool in summer
  • orient windows so your home gets more sun and natural light
  • choose building materials that don’t use or emit harmful chemicals
  • buy appliances that use energy and water efficiently
  • think ahead to make sure your home or renovation will meet your needs in the future, as well as meeting your needs now.

If you’re interested in technical details, visit the industry website ‘Level’. Level has been created by the Building Research Association of New Zealand to assist designers and tradespeople to design and build sustainable houses for their clients.

Smarter Homes resulted from a partnership between the Ministry for the Environment, Beacon Pathway, the Consumers' Institute, the Department of Building and Housing, Building Research and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority. The site is currently administered by the Department of Building and Housing.

Please contact the Department of Building and Housing for further information about Smarter Homes.

Sustainable public buildings

As part of the Auckland Sustainable Cities Programme local and central government agencies are working towards building more sustainable public buildings. This can be achieved through better design and operation of buildings – i.e. energy, water and materials use, generation of waste and wastewater, and influencing travel patterns of occupants.

The project is about the public sector leading by example, through demonstrating the potential of a sustainable building approach in their own building developments. It applies to new buildings, as well as renovations and retro-fits.

Although the Auckland Sustainable Cities Programme has now officially ended, work on this project continues and is being led by a small group of local and central government representatives.

Relevant links

Other building and housing related projects

The Urban team is also has input into a number of government building and housing related projects. These include: