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Smart guide
Cooling and air conditioning
Heating, cooling and insulation
Cooling options for your home
Well-designed homes in most parts of New Zealand will make the most of passive cooling and ventilation. They should need little or no mechanical (or active) cooling in summer.Mechanical cooling options run on electricity. Using them to coo...
Smart guide
Passive cooling
Design
Keeping your cool
Overheating is a common summer problem in many New Zealand homes. Passive cooling can help you keep your home comfortable throughout summer without using an air conditioner or other mechanical assistance.Passive cooling works by:
using shade and insul...
Smart guide
Downlights and recessed lights
Power, lighting and energy saving
Downlights – make smart choices
While downlights, also known as recessed light fittings, have been a popular option in recent years, some types that are on the market can undermine the effectiveness of your ceiling insulation.Choose the type of downlights you install...
Smart guide
Smart lighting choices
Power, lighting and energy saving
New lighting technology looks smart and is smart
A nationwide study in 2005 showed that lighting accounts for up to 8 percent of household energy use in the average New Zealand home. Since then technology has rapidly developed.Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have historic...
Smart guide
Controlling moisture and damp
Air quality, moisture and ventilation
Dealing with moisture
Reducing moisture levels in your home involves:
venting moisture at the source to outside
eliminating or reducing sources of moisture
ensuring that air can circulate so that moisture is removed.
If you eliminate moisture sources and improve ventil...
Smart guide
Active ventilation
Air quality, moisture and ventilation
How active ventilation works
Active ventilation is ventilation provided mechanically – for example, by extractor fans, range hoods and whole house ventilation systems. These systems run on electricity – the bigger the system and the more components, the more power...
Smart guide
Ventilation
Air quality, moisture and ventilation
Ventilation is about helping fresh air to circulate through your home
Ventilation is about helping fresh air to circulate through your home. It allows moisture and airborne pollutants to escape, and fresh clean air to be drawn into your home. Well-designed ventilation...
Smart guide
Generating your own electricity
Power, lighting and energy saving
Generating your own electricity can reduce energy costs and ensure your supply is secure.For rural properties, it may be the only practical and cost-effective option. For urban properties, 'micro-generation' may also be an attractive option under the right circumstances.The...
Smart guide
Passive ventilation
Air quality, moisture and ventilation
How passive ventilation works
Passive ventilation uses doors, windows, vents, louvres and other openings to bring fresh air into your home and let stale air out. The size and placement of these openings can be used to guide air into and through your home.Where cooling...
Story
Wellington upgrade on a limited budget
Power, lighting and energy saving
Finding a house to buy
After renting a cold house in a city fringe suburb of Wellington for six years, this professional couple and their eight-year-old child were keen to buy a home of their own. And with a baby on the way, making the house warm, dry and energy effici...