Quality of housing is a big issue, definitely. I've wintered in Canada in very cold conditions, and houses never felt cold or damp. That being said, the standards for new house builds are a lot higher. We built some years ago, and we need to open windows during the day in winter if it's sunny as it just gets too warm in living room.

Housing density is the other big one for me. I've lived in cities overseas with fewer people than Akl. They were always more compact, easier for transport, and more convenient. This is, in large part, due to high density housing.

[–] sylverstream 3 points 1 year ago

Thanks, yes things have definitely improved here, but the bare minimum here is still not very good. We've got a 7 year old house but still get condensation on our alu window frames as they are not thermally broken. Also the insulation is not superb.

Opening your windows is a very good idea by the way. Modern houses need to be ventilated as they are very tight.

[–] Dave 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’ve wintered in Canada in very cold conditions, and houses never felt cold or damp.

This actually makes it easier for houses to not be damp! Very cold air can barely hold any water. The comparatively warmer winters in our subtropical climate leave a lot of moisture in rhe air.

Though, and I've said this before, the comparatively warmer winters probably let us get away with a lower standard of housing, and now we have grown used to that.

[–] Rangelus 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, good point. It didn't snow for about a month, due to the low humidity. I should have just pointed out the warmth of the houses only.

[–] Dave 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wonder if there are companies in NZ that build houses to a standard that people coming from overseas expect?

I know heatpump powered central heating is becoming more common, but it seems only for those who know to ask for it. I'd be interested in knowing what other things make warmer houses, so I know to look out for them.

[–] Rangelus 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When we built, we went with a smaller local contractor. We came from a cold, damp, house, so specified we wanted it WARM. Something that helped is we have polystyrene backed cladding. This isn't included in the R-value calcs for Code, but definitely helps. We also went with thermally broken frames, which wasn't worth the money I don't think.

[–] Dave 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So I went searching to see what might be different overseas. I picked Canada, and found a page saying Canadian's use about 60% of their total energy use heating their home. So I thought maybe they are just more willing to crank the heater up

But then I came across this page. It lists typical R-value for insulation. The numbers are in the 30-60 range... that's got to be a difference in how they measure, right? I don't think you can buy insulation more than an R value of about 4 in NZ...

[–] quirq 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Correct, US vs European (and NZ in our case) R values are different. Comparison: https://www.myonlinediary.com/index.php/Insulation/US-EuropeanRValueConvertionTables

[–] Dave 2 points 1 year ago

Good to know, thanks!

But also it didn't make me feel any better because the normal Canadian insulation still seems to be twice as good as our good stuff...