ABSTRACT

New Zealand is hamstrung by a housing crisis. Although the discourse primarily focuses on housing affordability and homelessness, there is a more pervasive problem afflicting New Zealanders: that New Zealand homes are substandard, being cold, damp and difficult to heat. This article reviews the moisture levels of three categories of housing (older vintage, newly constructed and newly constructed green certified) in Auckland, New Zealand, to determine whether the pervasive issue of high internal humidity in housing can be successfully rectified through using a green building certification. The results show that newly constructed 6-Homestar dwellings are in the optimal relative humidity range mean 14 per cent of time in contrast to 17 per cent for new code-compliant dwellings (and six per cent for older vintage dwellings) in the damp winter months of June through August. This research documents that a particular green certification – 6-Homestar – may not deliver suitable humidity control, and that alternative certifications that stipulate airtightness levels and require active ventilation – such as Passive House – could be considered by policy makers interested in delivering low-carbon, warm, dry houses in New Zealand.

摘要

新西兰受到住房危机的困扰。尽管讨论主要集中在住房负担能力和无家可归问题上，但有一个更普遍的问题困扰着新西兰人：新西兰的房屋不合标准，寒冷、潮湿且难以取暖。这篇文章回顾了新西兰奥克兰三类房屋（老旧、新建和新建绿色认证）的湿度水平，以确定是否可以通过使用绿色建筑成功解决房屋内部高湿度的普遍问题认证。结果表明，在潮湿的冬季，新建的 6-Homestar 住宅平均有 14% 的时间处于最佳相对湿度范围，而符合规范的新住宅为 17%（旧式住宅为 6%）六月到八月。该研究表明，特定的绿色认证 - 6-Homestar - 可能无法提供合适的湿度控制，并且有兴趣提供低碳的政策制定者可以考虑规定气密性和需要主动通风的替代认证 - 例如被动房，温暖干燥的新西兰房屋。