Rebuilding and rethinking

Proving that home performance improvements can and should be done alongside earthquake repairs is the motivation behind a project called Build Back Smarter, run by Beacon Pathway – a group including Christchurch City Council, EECA and various industry organisations.

The group aims to make New Zealand homes as high performing, adaptable, resilient and affordable as possible through research, industry collaboration and demonstration projects such as Build Back Smarter.

Ten homes were initially selected for the project – all of which were due to have insurance-funded earthquake repairs. The upgrades were paid for by Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart subsidies and project funding.

The homeowners have been so impressed with the improvements that they say they would be willing to pay for it themselves given the choice.

Case study

For David and Helen, the opportunity to be part of Build Back Smarter came at the end of a difficult 20 months as their earthquake repairs moved from EQC to insurer IAG. Their house was one of the first to be repaired in Christchurch and David and Helen praise IAG’s case management approach and Hawkins’ project management.

The couple reports that the steps in the Build Back Smarter process brought unexpected benefits. This includes an independent assessment by partner Community Energy Action and a written upgrade plan on how to improve the home’s performance.

The homeowners said this helped them make informed decisions about what upgrades were useful to include and how to prioritise them. They also became more engaged with the home’s performance, investing in temperature and humidity sensors and actively managing heat transfer.

The building’s Homestar rating rose from 2 stars to 5 stars after being upgraded with insulation, double glazing and a heat transfer kit

Written in the stars

David and Helen say they’re already feeling the difference and, heading into winter, the improved warmth is one of the aspects they most value.

They’ve also noted the ease of heating their home and the warm, even temperatures throughout the house.

Cost consideration

Knowing what they know now, the couple recommends getting insulation installed at the time of repair.

However, as a retired couple, they are very budget conscious and carefully weighed the costs and benefits. If they were paying themselves, they consider they might not have undertaken some of the other interventions.

Total extra costs for upgrade over repairs amounted to $14,524 excluding GST.

Extra jobs on the list

As well as the Build Back Smarter upgrades, David and Helen also took the opportunity of getting the builder to undertake some additional work not covered by the insurance scope.

This included:

• Replacing a sagging beam from the 1980s addition.

• Replacing rubber-sheathed wiring that could be a future fire hazard.

• Including fibre glass reinforcing as part of the cladding replacement to help prevent damage from future earthquakes.

Although the wiring and the fibreglass reinforcing are likely to reduce the risk of future insurance claims, these kinds of repairs are not covered in insurance companies’ like-for-like policies.

The upgrade of the first Build Back Smarter homes has seen a substantial improvement in thermal performance – an improvement the homeowners say they would be willing to pay for

Upgrades to David and Helen’s house

• Topped up ceiling insulation to R4.6 and cut hatches to access and insulate previously inaccessible roof cavity. • Installed underfloor insulation to R1.6. • Installed underfloor vapour barrier. • Installed R2.8 wall insulation to the ground floor (except the bathroom), where both external wall cladding and internal linings were replaced and building wrap added as part of the repair.

• Installed building paper and wall insulation to upper floor where internal linings were replaced. • Double glazed the south-facing windows in the upstairs bedrooms. • Draught-stopped doors. • Lagged hot water pipes. • Installed a rangehood vented from an internal wall to the outside. • Installed a heat transfer kit and thermostat from the main living area to the upstairs  bedrooms.

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