Changes will be made to the heating, ventilation, and moisture ingress and drainage standards.
Heating Standard
The changes are made to the heating standard specifically for:
- new modern homes built to the 2008 building code
- new apartments of at least three storey and 6 units or more
- properties renovated throughout to the 2008 building code requirements for insulation and glazing
The heating formula will be amended to allow smaller heating devices to be installed in new homes.
The Government has also agreed to provide more flexibility to properties with energy-efficient technologies and provide exemptions to a small number of properties that use direct geothermal heating.
Ventilation Standard
Continuous mechanical ventilation systems used in properties built to comply with the current building code will now also satisfy the standard (as previously, the exhaust capacities or ducting diameter were not meeting current regulations). This applies to systems that received building consent on or after 1 November 2019.
Moisture ingress and drainage standard
Landlords will be given an exemption to remove the need to install alternative moisture barriers where the installation of a polythene barrier isn’t reasonably practical.
The changes are a positive move proving a more practical and achievable application of the standards without sacrificing tenants standard of living.
New rules are expected to come into force in May 2022 and give landlords 90 days to comply. However, rentals that were not built to the 2008 code requirements or were not flats still had to comply with the current heating standard requirements.
For more information about the changes – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
