Impact of H1 requirement

Architects, designers and building officials are among the attendees expected at a series of seminars to be presented by senior BRANZ scientists, Nigel Isaacs and Michael Camilleri, and Department of Building & Housing Building Standards Advisors, Nick Locke and Stephen Ward, in November and December.

The seminars will focus on changes to Building Code Clause H1 (Energy Efficiency) and their impact on house design and construction.

“Everyone involved in the design and consent process needs to understand the changes to H1 and what they mean in practice,” said BRANZ science communications manager, Chris Kane.

“No matter what the public demands, consents will not be issued unless designs meet the new H1 requirements. It is in everyone’s interest that architects, designers and building officials are able to understand the changes from each other’s perspectives. Typically, they do work well together, and these seminars are a way of ensuring that they all keep up to date.”

The public appetite for understanding sustainability issues, such as planning for energy efficiency in buildings, continues to grow, and BRANZ wishes to ensure that architects, designers and territorial authorities, in particular, are receiving clear, unambiguous information that they can then pass on to their clients.

The seminars will focus on the practical implications of the changes, including:

• understanding that the changes are substantive and that window and floor designs will need to change to meet the new regulations;

• explaining whether double glazing is mandatory;

• giving advice on how to achieve the higher R-values required;

• explaining when to use the schedule method and advising on its correct application;

• explaining when to use the calculation method and advising on its correct application;

• outlining tools that help use the calculation method.

A full schedule of dates is published at BRANZ.