Home Style Green

An architectural designer sits somewhere between a draughter and an architect.  Bob Burnett is an experienced architectural designer in Christchurch and he explained to me some of the reasons why it's a good idea to consult with a designer if you're planning a new build or a renovation.  Bob is also an experienced energy modeller using ArchiCAD's Eco Designer and he shares a great story about how he saved a client by redesigning their roof. Bob's website is at: http://www.bbarc.com In this show we also mention: Architectural Designers New Zealand; http://www.adnz.org.nz New Zealand Institute of Architects; http://www.nzia.co.nz Homestar; http://homestar.org.nz Remember, you can contact me at comments@homestylegreen.com

About 10% of New Zealand homes invest in some form of retrofitted ventilation system. But do you really need one, and if so, what for? In this cast I talk about how to tell if your house is leaky or air-tight depending on it's age, two basic types of ventilation systems and the common symptoms that cause people to want to install a ventilation system.  Steps to take when considering ventilation are: What's your problem? What's your house type? Insulation Draughts  Adequate heating Extraction of moisture at the source Whole-house ventilation To get independent advice, talk to a Homestar Practitioner: http://homestar.org.nz/services Also, check out two of my other favourite podcasts: Tim Reid at Small Business Big Marketing http://smallbusinessbigmarketing.com/ Natalie Cutler-Welsh and Jacqui Lockington at If Only They'd Told Me http://www.ifonlytheytoldme.com/ Would you like to be part of Home Style Green? Contact me: comments@homestylegreen.com

Part 2 of our wrap of the NZGBC event in June.  This week, Verney and I discuss LED lighting, ventilation, 3D thermal modelling in CAD, construction waste management and other highlights from the Master Class day that followed on from the NZGBC Sustainable Housing Summit. Selected pdfs of some presentations are available on the NZGBC website. 

The inaugural Sustainable Housing Summit, hosted by the New Zealand Green Building Council, took place at the Auckland Viaduct Events Centre on June 27th 2012.  It was a great event with over 120 attendees, a very promising sign for similar events in the future.  I caught up with Verney Ryan via Skype to discuss the highlights.  For more information, check out NZGBC where you can now find pdf downloads of most of the presentations. Some of the people and organisations we discussed during this cast include: Homestar NZGBC Warwick Quinn, CEO of Registered Master Builders Bill Dunster, Zedfactory Arup Nick Collins, Beacon Pathway Hobsonville Point Adam Beck, Green Building Council of Australia Tim Horton, South Australian Integrated Design Commission and www.5000plus.net.au Alistair Helm, realestate.co.nz Stonewood Homes Zero Energy House

I was lucky enough to first meet Carlin Archer in Chrstchurch a few years ago. Carlin was interested in building an 'ecohome', but didn't know the first thing about building houses. He did know a lot about building websites thought. So he and his brother sat down and reated Ecobob.co.nz

Barb Cooper is a real estate agent with a difference.  In this interview, Barb shares some of the strategies she uses to build her network and how she's involved in the local community. It's refreshing to hear from someone who loves what they do. Barb shares her passion and her belief in the role that the real estate industry can play in improving the environment.  Barb can be found at: http://www.downtoearthre.co.nz/ Barb also mentions: Homecoaches: http://homestar.org.nz/assessment-types/homecoach-assessed Ecobrokers: http://www.downtoearthre.co.nz/contact/what-is-ecobroker/ Johann Bernhardt: http://www.ecoprojects.co.nz/Site/About/Default.aspx

It was my pleasure to interview Verney Ryan this week. Verney has been influential in the field of sustainable building and design bother here in New Zealand and overseas. Listen in to see how Verney describes his 'job'. Links mentioned in this cast include: BRE: http://www.bre.co.uk/ Beacon NOW homes http://www.beaconpathway.co.nz/new-homes Homestar http://homestar.org.nz

Last week, an evaluation report on the Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart Programme, was released. It makes for some interesting reading, including a cost benefit analysis of the programme.  Check out http://www.healthyhousing.org.nz for more details Other news to check out: News real now online at http://www.homestylegreen.com NZGBC Sustainable Housing Summit. Be there! http://www.nzgbc.org.nz Keynote speaker is Bill Dunster from ZEDfactory Also, check out the most exciting roof in New Zealand and the flash new website of the Zero Energy House: http://www.zeroenergyhouse.co.nz

This week I caught up with Alex Reiche for the very first Home Style Green expert interview.  Alex Reiche is the Founder and Managing Director of EnviroSpec, an online register of 'Eco-Preferred' products.  Check out EnviroSpec's interacitve house to find the best products for your building project.  Alex is also an accredited Homestar and Green Star professional and offers design and certification advice for residential and commercial buildings. 

In today's cast, I complete our introduction to heating systems with a look at central heating.  Common to all central heating systems are three main components: 1. The fuel 2. The engine or heater 3. The distribution system - pipes, ducts and outlets There are two main mediums for transfering heat. Air is common with gas-fired heaters and large ducts but is not as effective as water based systems. Air ducts can lose up to 1 degree per m of duct.  Heating that is not true central heating includes inslab or undertile electric element heating, heat transfer and ventilation system. 

After insulation, heating is the next thing most people look at when improving the comfort and warmth of their home.  In this episode of Home Style Green, I discuss room heaters: Standared electric heating: electric fan heaters, bar radiators, oil column, wall panel etc Gas unflued heating: And why you should never use it! Flued gas heating Heat pumps or reverse cycle air conditioning In the episode I refer to the 'carnot cycle'. This is the awesome thermodynamic principle behind air conditioning and refrigeration. Refer again to our trusty Wikipedia for a good article about the detailed physics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnot_cycle Of course the best form of heating is free from the sun. But making the most of passive solar heating is a design challenge and there's usually not a lot that can be done to improve this once a house is built. So if you're trying to heat an existing, cold home, what's the best option?

In part 2 of this insulation introduction, I discuss the main types of insulation used for ceilings, floors and wall.  For more information about insulation materials, check out Level.org.nz from BRANZ: http://www.level.org.nz/fileadmin/downloads/Materials/LevelMInsul.pdf For more on the properties of wool, including great microscopic imagery, check out: http://www.biotechlearn.org.nz/focus_stories/wool_innovations/wool_fibre_properties and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wool_insulation

In this episode of Home Style Green, I discuss the basic physics of insualation. I give an overview of the three main types of heat transfer, that is conduction, convection and radiation. Most bulk insulation products on the market rely almost entirely on reducing conduction.  I discuss what 'R-Value' means and the common materials of household insulation products.  For more information, visit our site at:  http://www.homestylegreen.com Also, for a more indepth discussion on insulation and 'R-Values', its hard to go past Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-value_(insulation)

Welcome to Episode 1 of Home Style Green, the podcast about how to live a healthy and happy lifestyle without it costing the Earth. I'm Matthew Cutler-Welsh: Engineer, Dad, Homeowner and someone who's passionate about making urban environments more sustainable.  This is my first podcast and my objective is to share ideas about building green homes, with style.  Links in today's cast include: The Home Style Green website: http://homestylegreen.com EECA Energywise: http://www.energywise.govt.nz/