Floor to ceiling windows in our recent Passive House build - triple-glazed, with wooden frames and tactically placed and shaded on the outside to prevent overheating. Most new builds in Wanaka don’t take into consideration window quality or placement based on orientation.

Why Your Wanaka Home Is Overheating In The Summer

Creating a comfortable home environment that maintains a consistent indoor temperature regardless of the season is a challenge in regions like Wanaka, where temperature extremes can make homes uncomfortably hot in the summer.

Here’s a detailed exploration of what causes homes to overheat, contrasting typical New Zealand building practices with the advanced methods used in Passive & Performance home building.

The Norm in Wanaka’s New Builds

Traditional homes in Wanaka often struggle with overheating during the warmer months due to several common building practices:

Inadequate Insulation: Standard homes might not have sufficient insulation to prevent heat gain, especially in the roof and walls.
Poor Window Quality and Placement: Typical homes may use single-glazed windows without protective shading or strategic placement, allowing excessive solar gain.
Lack of Ventilation: Inadequate ventilation systems in many homes fail to expel hot air, trapping heat indoors.

These factors contribute to homes that can often exceed comfortable temperature thresholds, particularly on hot days.

Why More Isn’t Always Better…. The Nuances Of Performance Homes Design in Wanaka.

In Wanaka, the beauty of our landscapes is often mirrored by extreme temperatures, challenging us to rethink home design.
And many of you try. We’ve seen it and we’ve actually been there ourselves.
But what if the design solutions meant to cool your home are inadvertently turning it into a summer oven?

Here’s a deeper dive into the nuanced challenges of home design in Wanaka:

Holistic Insulation Practices: It’s not just about adding more insulation. When not balanced across your home’s design, enhanced insulation in one area can inadvertently increase heat retention in others, leading to overheating.
Window Placement and Quality: In the pursuit of light and views, window choices often overlook thermal performance. Our Passive & Performance homes utilize high-quality, strategically placed windows with external shading to manage solar gain effectively.
Advanced Ventilation Solutions: Traditional homes often lack sophisticated ventilation systems, trapping hot air. We implement state-of-the-art Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems to keep air fresh and temperatures balanced without relying on energy-intensive air conditioning.

As well and good quality windows, specific placing, is incredibly important.

Precision in Passive & Performance Home Building

Contrastingly, Passive & Performance homes are designed with meticulous attention to detail to prevent overheating:

Superior Insulation and Materials: These homes use high-grade, often reflective insulation that better controls internal temperatures.
Advanced Window Solutions: Utilising double or triple-glazed windows with external shading and strategic orientation minimizes unwanted solar gain while maximising natural light.
Enhanced Ventilation Systems: Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems and other advanced ventilation strategies effectively manage air flow, removing excess heat without compromising energy efficiency.

Impact on Living Standards: The difference it actually makes.

The living standards in a Passive or Performance home are markedly higher. These homes maintain a more consistent internal temperature, reducing the time they spend above comfort thresholds (typically 25°C). For example, while a standard home might exceed this temperature 20-30% of the time during summer, a well-designed Passive House might only exceed it less than 5% of the time, according to Passive House standards.

How do we know your home is going to work like this?
Because we insist on getting it modelled alongside your architect, before we even dig a hole.

In Conclusion - Why Our Homes Hit Different

The difference in temperature management between standard and Passive & Performance homes significantly impacts daily comfort and energy consumption. By focusing on comprehensive building science, Passive & Performance homes in Wanaka not only provide relief from the summer heat but also contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle.

If you’re interested in making your next build better - reach out to find out more.