Time to transform your bathroom with the

Find out more

You get exceptional incentives from these leading suppliers

Robertson logoAthena logoClearlite logoRefresh Renovations logo
Resene logoTile Depot logoHarmoney logo

A healthy home

Find out what makes a home healthy and how your renovation choices could affect your family's wellbeing, plus save on utility bills.

Home with indoor-outdoor flow with glass walls separating hallways from backyard courtyard
ARTICLE Dana Alexander

Kiwis are confronted with messages about the need to make our cites more liveable, and the benefits of having a warm, healthy and energy efficient home, but are often confused about where to place priorities when renovating on a set budget.
“As we typically spend at least a third of our lives in homes, it’s important to consider how well they are designed and built, and how they impact the quality of life and health outcomes for our families; and the environment,” says Dana Alexander Homestar Business Development Manager.
“Incorporating sustainable features into the home whether by improving insulation, replacing inefficient heating and lighting, upgrading to double glazed (low E) windows with thermal break aluminium or PVC joinery to retain heat, choosing water and energy efficient appliances or improving access to natural light and cross ventilation can have a lasting impact on the performance and running cost of the home – and add value to your renovation.”
Developed by the New Zealand Green Building Council and BRANZ, Homestar is the only residential rating tool that provides an independent measure on a scale from 1-10 stars, and has been proposed for mandatory inclusion by the Auckland Council in the ‘Draft Unitary Plan’ and also in the Christchurch City Council draft ‘District Plan’ to benchmark sustainability.
Early adoption of 6 Homestar in the Special Housing  Areas in Auckland and the Lurp exemplar in Christchurch has stimulated market demand for certification, with an increasing number of high profile projects using Homestar. Professional Homestar Assessors are available nationwide, to guide the design, specification and can certify the rating of new homes or major renovations. Alternatively homeowners can rate their own home using an easy to use questionnaire, which generates a self-assessed Homestar score and a list of recommendations to help move up to a higher ‘star brand’.
Simply log onto Homestar and sign up to become a myhomestar member to rate your house and get independent maintenance and renovation advice.

You might be interested in reading: Sustainable home design: Q&A.

Renovate Magazine Logo
This article by Dana Alexander featured on page 31 of Issue 014 of New Zealand Renovate Magazine. New Zealand's first and only magazine solely dedicated to home renovations.

Get in touch with Refresh to discuss your home renovation project

If you would like to discuss options for your home renovation project, please use the enquiry form on this page to provide us with your contact details. We will get in touch with you at a time that suits you to discuss your project. If you would like to provide us with more information about your project, we have a more comprehensive enquiry form on our "Get in touch" page too.
*All information is believed to be true at time of publishing and is subject to change.

No items found.

Read Next

All Refresh Renovations franchises are independently owned and operated.

Get in Touch

Get in touch if you are interested in a quote or consultation

If your enquiry is not related to renovating your home, you may wish to use one of our other enquiry forms to ensure your message reaches the right team:

(Don’t worry - if you change your mind you can unsubscribe anytime)

Please Wait ...

Processing...

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Book a free consultation

 

What are you looking to renovate?

Select all that apply.

Select all that apply.

Next →
 

Almost there! 

Tell us more about you.

(Don’t worry - if you change your mind you can unsubscribe anytime)

Please wait... ← Back

Processing...

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Please correctly fill in all fields.

Talk to a renovation consultant today

If you would like to find out how Refresh Renovations can support you with a high quality, efficient home renovation, get in touch today. Your local Refresh consultant will be happy to meet with you for a free, no obligations consultation.

Get in touch