The updated Homestar standard has gone through its biggest overhaul since it was launched in 2010
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The updated Homestar standard has gone through its biggest overhaul since it was launched in 2010.
The New Zealand Green Building Council’s update to Homestar V4 will make it easier for home builders to lift and verify the performance of new homes, following a consultation with the industry.
NZGBC Chief Executive Andrew Eagles says the 6 months of consultation has created a tool that accelerates the delivery of better quality homes.
“We’ve made it more economical to drive momentum with a concrete, streamlined methodology which helps accelerate the delivery of quality housing stock. The revised tool provides a clear framework for constructing a quality home that contributes positively to the health and wellbeing of its occupants,” says Eagles.
The organisation says that a newly built home with a 6 Homestar rating will save a homeowner $5,000 over 5 years while an 8 Homestar rating would save $10,000. Carbon emissions would be cut by up to 6,000kg in that time.
The new standard has been welcomed by many in the industry, including Katja Lietz, General Manager Masterplanning and Placemaking at HLC NZ (formerly Hobsonville Land Company).
“As we move from Hobsonville Point to projects across Auckland, HomeStar V4 will help our development partners deliver warmer, healthier homes for Aucklanders,” she says.
Panuku Development Auckland CEO Roger MacDonald says, “We’re supporting this tool, because we believe it is necessary for the New Zealand housing market. By simplifying the tool considerably, NZGBC is making it possible for sustainable healthy homes to become the norm, not the exception.”
The new version of Homestar is live now but projects can register under either v3 or v4 until the end of September, at which point NZGBC rolls over exclusively to v4.
