Mitsubishi Electric – Member of the New Zealand Green Building Council
What is the New Zealand Green Building Council?
Black Diamond Technologies and Mitsubishi Electric are proud to be a member of the New Zealand Green Building Council (NZGBC), a non-profit membership organisation that promotes better buildings.
The NZGBC work in partnership with progressive businesses from all aspects of the building and property industry, with an aim to accelerate the development and adoption of market-based green building practices. These partnerships have led to significant improvements in homes and buildings that are increasingly being constructed to provide healthier, happier homes and workplaces across Aotearoa.
What does the NZGBC brand stand for?
The NZGBC brand is the mark of quality assurance and commitment to environmental integrity within New Zealand's building industry and construction industry.
At BDT, we are passionate about providing New Zealanders with market-leading products that set new benchmarks in efficiency for better buildings and homes.
Authenticating Green Buildings
Green Star
Green Star is an internationally-recognised rating system for the design, construction and operation of commercial buildings. It is a tool to support stakeholders in the property and construction sectors to operate projects in a more sustainable, efficient and productive way.
A Green Star rating takes into consideration a building’s overall environmental impact across nine categories including Energy, Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ), Waste Minimisation, Emissions, and Innovation.
NABERSNZ
NABERSNZ is a rating system for the energy efficient performance of office buildings. A NABERSNZ Certified Rating gives a star rating, from 0 (poor) to 6 (aspirational) based on how well a building’s energy is used.
This helps owners and tenants to understand, compare and improve energy performance to reduce operating costs and deliver a more comfortable working environment.
A key factor that NABERSNZ assess is the performance of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC). A quality HVAC system that has continuous commissioning will be more reliable and have lower energy and maintenance costs.
Homestar
The NZGBC runs a comprehensive, independent national rating tool called Homestar that certifies the health, efficiency and sustainability of new homes in New Zealand. The current Building Code sets minimum
standards for internal moisture, ventilation,
energy efficiency and insulation, but even a new home built to code can perform poorly.
Homestar is a holistic tool that rates a home’s performance and environmental impact. A 10 Homestar rating recognises world leading standards for design, construction and efficiency in operation. A 6 Homestar rating recognises a home that has been built at or above the current standards set by the New Zealand building code, dependent on location across Aotearoa.
HomeFit
HomeFit is an inspection-based assessment of the health, comfort, energy efficiency and safety of existing New Zealand homes. It covers a range of topics that a panel of experts believes to be
essential for a home to be liveable, and provides an independent check as to whether the house meets the Healthy Homes Standards. These topics include things such as insulation, ventilation,
heating, hot water and lighting. HomeFit also includes a higher standard called HomeFit PLUS. Meeting this standard results in a home that is warmer, drier, more comfortable and more energy efficient
than HomeFit.
To find out more about the New Zealand Green Building Council, please visit their website.
Key considerations for greener buildings and homes
Efficient Space and Water Heating
- Mitsubishi Electric Heat Pumps for efficient space heating.
- Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan Hot Water Heat Pumps for efficient space and water heating.
Moisture Control and Ventilation
- Mitsubishi Electric Lossnay Fresh Air Home Ventilation and Energy Recovery Systems for drier, warmer and healthier homes.
- Mitsubishi Electric Ducted Ventilation Fans for better ventilation and moisture extraction.
Commercial Heating and Cooling
Building owners, facility managers and the construction industry in New Zealand have been looking for HVAC systems that maximise occupant safety, deliver high cost-efficiencies whilst minimising the Global Warming Potential of the refrigerants used within these systems. Mitsubishi Electric’s R32 Hybrid VRF Systems provide a commercially viable alternative solution to traditional R410A systems, revolutionising the heating and cooling of commercial buildings.
