Waitakere City - NOW Home
- Pic: Craig Robertson Photography for Beacon Pathway Ltd
Welcome to "the ordinary home of the future".
The NOW Home in New Lynn, Waitakere City, is proof that an affordable modern home that looks like any other in the street can also be warm & healthy, cheaper-to-run and kind to the environment.
Built in 2005 by Beacon Pathway Ltd, a research consortium committed to improving the sustainability of New Zealand homes, the three-bedroom home was designed to:
- suit an average family
- use commonly available building materials and methods
- be affordable - it cost just over $210,000 (excluding GST) to construct
- use energy, water and other resources efficiently
- be free of dampness and the asthma-causing airborne pollutants that are found in some homes
- be weathertight and meet or exceed all Building Code requirements
- be easy to heat and cool
- be quiet
- be flexible, so it can adapt to occupants’ changing needs
- be comfortable, attractive and appealing to live in.
Since September 2005, the NOW Home has been tenanted by a young family who describe it as the best home they've ever had.
Early monitoring (during the six months to April 2006) suggests that it's likely to use about 30% less energy and 25% less water per year than similar-sized homes in the area.
Heating, cooling and ventilation
The NOW Home is designed to make the most of the sun's energy for heating, and to use shading and natural ventilation for cooling. Its designers aim to achieve indoor temperatures of 18°C to 25°C for all but 10 days of every year. Key design features include:
- The home’s two living areas, dining area and one of the bedrooms all face north, and the northern wall has large windows and two bi-fold doors to admit the maximum amount of sunlight during winter. Eaves provide shade during summer.
- The home is insulated far above the levels required in the Building Code (R3.0 to walls and R 5.0 to ceilings, compared with the required levels of R1.5 and R1.9 respectively). This helps to prevent heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer.
- The home’s floor is a 100mm-thick insulated concrete slab. This collects and absorbs the sun’s heat. In living areas, the floor has been left uncovered to maximise heat gain. The concrete is coloured to fit in with the home’s decor.
- A lobby between the front door and the main living space prevents heat loss.
- Double glazing is fitted to all windows and glazed doors to minimise heat loss.
- Window frames have vents to provide ventilation, keeping the home drier and the air fresher and healthier.
- The home is designed to allow for air circulation, with no hallway and few internal doors. Warm air can circulate during winter and cool air can circulate during summer. The tenants say that opening the living room double doors is enough to keep the house cool on hot days.
Energy efficiency
As well as using the sun for heating, the NOW Home has several other energy-saving features.
Solar panels met all of the home's water heating needs during spring and summer of 2005/06. Some electric water heating was needed to top up the solar-heated water during winter. Heat loss is minimised by locating the hot water cylinder in the middle of the house and designing the home's plumbing to ensure hot water has only a short distance to travel from the cylinder to the most commonly used taps. Provisional results from monitoring found that, in the 11 months to September 2006, solar energy provided approximately 55% of the tenants' water heating needs - equivalent to a saving of 2500kWh or about $425 on water heating.
Other energy efficiency features include:
- design that makes the most of natural light
- use of energy efficient light bulbs - these last much longer than standard incandescent light bulbs and use 80% less energy
- use of energy efficient appliances.
BRANZ Ltd, which has independently monitored the home's energy use, predicted that in the course of one year the NOW Home will use about 6000kWh of energy, about half the average Auckland figure of 11800 kWh (this figure includes all purchased sources of energy, including solid fuel, gas, etc).
Water use
The NOW Home has several features designed to reduce water use without compromising the occupants' quality of life. Rainwater from a 13,500-litre tank is used for all water needs except cold water supplied to the kitchen and bathroom. The roof, guttering and pipe materials were selected to ensure the safety of the rainwater for household use. The rainwater supply is supplemented by mains water when the tank runs low.
Other water-saving features include:
- low-flow shower mixers and taps
- dual-flush toilets
- a water-efficient dishwasher
- a water-efficient washing machine
- use of drought-resistant native plants in the garden.
During the six months to April 2006, the NOW Home used an average of 820 litres of water each day, of which 270 litres was supplied by harvesting water from the roof. The stored rainwater supplies non-drinking water to the home. This means the home required only 550 litres of water a day from the Council water main, about a quarter less than similar homes in the area.
Other considerations
Healthy materials
The NOW Home was designed to avoid use of materials that can harm people's health. For example, PVC was not used. Use of glues and solvents was kept to a minimum (these contain volatile organic compounds which can contribute to health problems such as asthma).
Flexibility and livability
The NOW Home was designed to be flexible, so it can adapt to different occupants and changes in use. There are two living areas: an open-plan one alongside the kitchen/dining area, and a second, adjoining living area which could be used as a study, home office or separate living area for children or older people.
To maximise useable living space, the home has no corridors or hallways; almost half of the total area (house and garage) is living and dining space.
The home was also designed with good indoor-outdoor flow, plenty of storage, and cathedral ceilings in the living and dining areas to give a spacious, light and airy feel.
Noise
The NOW Home is located near a busy road. The main living areas face away from the road and the main outdoor area, accessed through bi-fold doors from the living room, is also away from traffic noise. The double glazing and high levels of insulation also help to reduce external noise.
Inside, noise is reduced by:
- locating bedrooms away from the main living area
- locating plumbing and service areas away from the bedrooms.
More information
From Smarter Homes
From other sites
The NOW Home website has more information about the Waitakere NOW Home and another NOW Home in Rotorua.
