Councillors back review of new insulation standards

Far North District councillors are applauding a government decision to review new home insulation standards that they say make no sense for Northland’s sub-tropical climate.

Building and Housing Minister Chris Penk has asked Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) officials to review 2023 changes made to home insulation standards. The ‘H1’ changes boosted insulation and glazing requirements for new homes but Mr Penk says this has added $40,000-$50,000 to the cost of a new build.

Kahika Moko Tepania told TVNZ’s Breakfast news show on Monday (22 July) that he supported the review of H1 rules. He said that Far North housing is already severely unaffordable with hundreds of people on waiting lists for public housing. This was not helped by new H1 rules requiring the same level of insulation for Far North homes as required for new homes at the top of the South Island. He pointed out that weather conditions in Northland are very different to other parts of the country.

“We want to ensure that any housing built up here is safe, warm and comfortable and contributes to the wellbeing of whānau living in these homes, but we don’t want [standards] to be inappropriate or cost prohibitive.”

Councillor Felicity Foy says builders and homeowners have told her that as well as increasing the cost of new builds, the H1 standards are making Northland homes too hot with some homeowners having to use air conditioning in winter to cool their homes. “Many have been saving up to build a home and have had to put off their plans to save more funds to meet this extremely high level of glazing and insulation. Northland has a subtropical climate. We are not a cold part of the country.”

Kahika Tepania told the Breakfast show that Northland’s population is projected to continue growing well into the 2050s. The Northland building industry needs certainty and sensible standards, he said, so “we can build, build, build and meet that demand and house our people.”

A spokesperson for the minister said MBIE would formally investigate how H1 is working in the real world, which is what the minister has requested.