Why are Kiwi homes so cold – and what’s the solution?

A few years ago, Statistics NZ surveyed almost 7,000 New Zealand homes to measure their temperature during winter. What they found was a shocking indictment of the quality of our country’s housing stock. 

The average in-home winter temperature was 19 degrees and over a third of homes had temperatures under that. A small number of homes even recorded near-freezing temperatures. The World Health Organisation recommends 21 degrees as the healthiest indoor temperature – which suggests that many of our properties aren’t safe or healthy.

The problem with Kiwi homes

New Zealand’s building code has always lagged behind other developed nations. For decades, our buildings have required lower insulation, glazing and thermal performance than other nations like the UK, or our neighbours in Australia. 

The building code is getting better now and our housing stock is improving thanks to high quality new builds – but we’re left with millions of old homes that are freezing in winter and baking hot in summer. Is your home one of them?

The new build solution

High quality new builds are consistently warmer, dryer and healthier during winter. In fact, if you’re sick of being cold after a long Auckland winter, investing in a new home could be a smart way to solve the problem for good.

Double glazing 

Up to 20% of your home’s heat loss can occur through its windows. Homes by Golstruct are built with double glazing and high performing joinery as standard to minimise heat loss in winter and help keep you toasty.

High quality insulation

Many older homes don’t have any insulation at all – while others have poor quality stuff that’s broken down over the years to become ineffective. When you build new, you can be confident that your walls, floors and ceilings are insulated with high quality materials – at or above the current NZ building code.

Passive design

New homes can be built with modern passive design techniques in mind. That includes:

• Northern orientation with glazing on the northern side of the home to capture the warmth of the sun. 
• Shading on northern walls to block the sun during summer. 
• Design tailored specifically to the Auckland climate and to the aspect of your site. 

A home that incorporates passive design principles will be warmer in winter and cooler in summer, slashing your energy bills and keeping you healthy all year round.

Little luxuries

During construction of a new home, you can choose to include a number of luxurious features that’ll help keep you warm. 

This could include central heating, underfloor heating and state-of-the-art heat pumps with smartphone connectivity.

Better quality build

Older builds such as villas, bungalows and brick units often have windows, floorboards, doors and joins that are riddled with gaps. 

During winter, this means that warm air is constantly rushing out, which makes heating your home an uphill battle. 

If you build new, with a reputable company like Golstruct Homes, your home will be built with modern techniques, high quality materials and attention to detail.

The result? A home that’s airtight (or near airtight) and much more comfortable to live in. 

Would you like to stay warm through every winter for the rest of your life? Give the team at Golstruct Homes a call to chat about building your next home.