Ministry delays rules on too-hot homes
The New Zealand government has delayed potential Building Code updates to address overheating in modern homes until 2031. Advocates and residents are concerned that current design standards fail to prevent dangerous indoor temperatures in new townhouses and apartments.
Why it matters
This highlights a growing public health and housing quality issue as climate change increases the frequency of extreme heat events in residential buildings.
<p>Advocates for people living in overheating new builds are dismayed that officials will not consider comprehensive changes to fix the issue until 2031.</p> <p><b>By Kate Newton of </b><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/community/1619940/ministry-delays-rules-on-too-hot-homes" target="_blank"><b>RNZ</b></a><b></b></p> <p>Residents of the glut of townhouses and apartments built in the last few years have repeatedly raised concerns about dangerous heat in their homes during summer, because of common design flaws.</p> <p>The Building Research Association (BRANZ) and Green Building Council are among organisations advocating for changes to the Building Code, which currently does not include any controls on overheating or maximum internal temperatures.</p> <p>However, Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment officials have confirmed the issue would not be part of a regular code review in 2028, and instead would be considered during the subsequent review in 2031.</p> <p>"We're really shocked to hear that we're facing a significant delay in dealing with this," Green Building Council chief executive Andrew Eagles said.</p>…
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