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Sustainable new builds and renovations

Building sustainably means making smarter decisions on heating, ventilation, windows, and water use.

What to consider

Wellington weather conditions

When building a sustainable home in Wellington, it's important to consider the many conditions specific to our city.

House orientation and design

Designing your home to take advantage of warm sun and cool breezes means you’ll achieve greater comfort at a lower cost.

This means living areas are north facing with sufficient shading/eves and reduced glazing on the south.

Key areas of your home

Free Green Building Assessment

Wellington City ratepayers qualify for a free consultation from the Sustainability Trust on advice for energy-efficient and sustainable building or renovating.

The Green Building Home Energy Assessment is for anyone who is planning a new build or renovation and wants to get advice on energy-efficient and sustainable design. The best time to schedule an assessment is prior to the design phase, but they offer advice on sketches, photos and ideas.

Register now

Funding

Some banks are offering “green” loans* to help make homes more energy efficient.

  • ANZ: Reduced interest rate for new or renovated homes meeting 6 Homestar rating or higher. Find out more at Healthy Home Loan Package
  • ASB: Cash contribution of $2000 for new residential and rental properties designing and building to 6 Homestar or above. Find out more at Back my Build Loan.

* These details may be subject to change. Contact the bank for more information about these upgrades.

Resources and guides

From rating and certification tools to design guides and advice, find the right options for you.

  • Buy, Build, Renovate GenLess helps you build with the future and climate in mind. Find resources, guides and examples of how to build better homes.
  • BRANZ UpSpec provides indicative costs and benefits of insulation, concrete slab, and water fixture upgrades for homes in the Wellington region.
  • BRANZ Renovation and Maintenance provides house maintenance and renovation guides for a variety of styles and ages, including common problems, fixes, and regulation and compliance information.
  • Smarter homes guides offer a large selection of guides and resources for smarter home building and essentials.
  • Passive House NZ is an international design standard built around the ‘thermal envelope’ to achieve healthy and efficient buildings.
  • Homestar is an independent rating tool for assessing the health, efficiency, and sustainability of homes.