Houses overheating from poor design not more insulation

Branz says homes are more than a set of components. (Image: Getty)

Mon, 17 Mar 2025

Poor housing design and not higher insulation standards lead New Zealand households to increasingly feel the heat over summer.The Building Research Association of NZ (Branz) said homes need to be considered a system rather than a set of individual components.Its comments were in response to proposed changes to higher insulation standards for new builds, which were only introduced in November 2023.Branz has just published a new survey showing homes of all ages overheat in the summer months.Unintended consequencesThe Ministry of Business, Innovat...

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