2.6. Consistency and certainty of compliance and consenting

2.6.1. Topics identified

Clear and up-to-date requirements in acceptable solutions and verification methods support consistency of how the requirements are applied and help provide certainty for designers, Building Consent Authorities and building users that buildings comply with the Building Code. This also helps avoid unnecessary delays in the consenting process. 

For Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 and Verification Method H1/VM1, sector feedback and BRANZ analysis helped us identify the following topics: 

• Topic 4: The modelling method includes requirements that are unclear or outdated.
• Topic 5: Thermal bridging from framing in walls is not adequately considered.
• Topic 6: How the areas of roofs, walls and floors should be measured is unclear.
• Topic 7: NZS 4214 includes ambiguous instructions for determining the R-values of walls, roofs and some floors.
• Topic 8: For some mixed-use buildings it is unclear whether H1/AS1 and H1/VM1 can be used, or H1/AS2 and H1/VM2.
• Topic 9: The look-up tables with R-values for slab-on-ground floors do not cater for some common situations.
• Topic 10: The look-up table with R-values for vertical windows and doors in housing misses some common glazing types.
• Topic 11: Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 and Verification Method H1/VM1 include obsolete provisions and definitions, and outdated references to documents and tools.

< 2.5 Topic 3: Where underfloor heating is only used in bathrooms, the minimum R-values for heated floors may cause unreasonable upfront costs  | 2.7 Topic 4: The modelling method includes requirements that are unclear or outdated >