Driving change to better homes and better communities – who needs to do what?

Responsibilities	Central Govt	Local Govt	Owner /occupier	Rental owner	Industry	Financers /Insurers
Loans and expanded scope of EECA programmes
Increased rate of upgrading HNZC stock
Increase building industry capacity and capability through education, training, update training
Building Code minimums and targets for future
‘Green tape’ for sustainable solutions including acceptable solutions
Provision of single, simple home performance rating system
Communication and information to industry on consumer choices
Research and development – innovation in products, processes, services and systems of organisation
Performance targets for existing housing stock
Market research on consumer aspirations for home performance
Leadership in community renewal/retrofit
Develop business opportunities
Take up opportunities for retrofit

Central Government responsibility for making it happen

• Consolidate and lead the case for change and delivery of targets specified in the Strategic Plan for Better Performing Homes across individual agencies.
• Develop the Building Code to accelerate improved performance of the built environment. The current work of the Government in reviewing the Building Code will ensure that new housing stock has improved performance and will use about 30% less energy and produce fewer emissions. We recommend development of specific, measurable targets for increasingly improved building performance levels of new buildings related to overall strategic plan goals. These performance levels would be delivered through achieving Building Code requirements.
• Recommend performance levels, supported by science, to improve existing housing stock, both owner-occupied and rental.
• In collaboration with industry, promote a single, simple performance rating system for all dwellings (new, existing owner-occupied, existing rental) developed from existing tools. The introduction of this rating system would transition from voluntary to mandatory within a fixed limited timetable (i.e. five years maximum). It would need to be presented to prospective purchasers/tenants at point of sale or lease.
• Make it easy for builders and consumers to ‘do the right thing’. Based on the strategic plan, this would include prioritising development of regulatory documents (e.g. acceptable solutions) to speed up consenting processes.
• Provide assistance, beyond the current low income focus of EECA programmes, to households to retrofit their existing houses to achieve recommended performance levels.
• Extend existing retrofit programmes to deliver solutions for existing housing stock. These programmes need to be aligned with recommended performance levels for existing stock and should include: higher standards of insulation; double glazing energy efficient water heating options; space heating and water efficiency options.
• Explore further options to ensure rental market uptake of retrofit to recommended performance levels through options targeted at landlords (grants and rental supplements) and tenants (accommodation allowances tied to better performing homes, other low energy/water use incentives).
• Accelerate upgrading Housing New Zealand’s approximately 80,000 household units to recommended performance levels. The Talbot Park retrofit project, Glen Innes, Auckland provides significant leadership on how this can be achieved.

In collaboration with industry

• Prioritise training and NZQA/ITO recognised qualifications relating to aligned industry
• Disseminate findings from market research, specifically addressing the retrofit consumer
• Ensure ongoing communication and information for consumers and the building sector regarding choices and the need for better performing homes.

Local Government responsibility for making it happen

• Shifting consumer/builder perception and existing reality of consenting process for sustainable options from red tape to green tape. Green tape includes: rebates, fast-track permitting/consenting, reduced or nil fees for certain features.
• Specifically incentivise better performing homes through planning and policy such as:
  • development controls that require sustainability features
  • standards for infrastructure provision (roads, water, wastewater) and related codes of practice that encourage low impact approaches and use of sustainable solutions (e.g. rainwater reuse)
  • allowances and possible exemptions for sustainable features (e.g. rainwater tanks) which enable higher performance levels of sustainable buildings to be achieved within existing standards
  • aligning use of other policy interventions such as development contributions, rates remissions for sustainable buildings.
• Allowing homeowners to move to direct water and wastewater charging if they have water efficient homes or upgrades.
• Provision of eco-advisors for home renovators and new home builders.
• Collaboration and working with other agencies to deliver community scale retrofit of existing homes.
• Planned upgrade to recommended performance levels of council-owned housing stock.

Building industry responsibility for making it happen

• Cooperate with Government on market research to size the market for warmer, more comfortable, water and energy efficient homes and renovations.
• In collaboration with Government, develop, promote and use a single, simple home performance rating system for all dwellings (new, existing owner-occupied and rental) developed from existing tools. Communicate with the building industry how this tool will enable individual businesses, from suppliers to builders/trades, to differentiate themselves in sustainability terms.
• Improve alignment and capacity of the building sector to deliver sustainable solutions which meet the recommended performance levels of the rating system.
• Find and resource the skills required for businesses to devise attractive sustainability propositions at appropriate cost levels for new and existing homeowners, based on targeted consumer market research.
• Collaborate with government to:
  • have ongoing dialogue regarding consumer choices and the need for change
  • prioritise training and development of NZQA/ITO recognised qualifications required for sustainable building and retrofit targets
  • prioritise ongoing research and development and innovation into products and systems combining products and building related services to deliver targets as specified in Strategic Plan for Better Performing Homes.
• Shift building professionals’ personal knowhow about the benefits of building ‘green’.
• Work with manufacturers of sustainable products, builders and retailers to provide a complete solution for consumers. Currently we see off-the-shelf products that builders are illequipped to install, require consents that limit application and do not, in and of themselves, provide the overall sustainable solution sought by the homeowner.

Consumers’ responsibility for making it happen

• Take-up of opportunities for retrofit available through incentives.
• Understanding that the value of benefits of the rating system will be reflected in either the value of their home or the ease of sale.
• Recognising the value of benefits of improved living environment and health benefits associated with sustainable features in the home.
• Engagement with eco-advisors when renovating and building new homes.
• Possibly engage in sustainable communities through community retrofit programmes.
• A shift to seeking ‘whole’ of building solutions rather than single fix offers.