A wintertime thermal analysis of New Zealand Homestar certified apartments for older people

Abstract

The New Zealand Building Code mandates maintaining habitable spaces and bathrooms in elderly homes at a minimum internal temperature of 16°C with adequate ventilation. This study assesses the thermal wintertime performance of 40 subsidized apartments designed for older residents within a 7-Homestar certified building in Auckland. The building performs well, falling below the 16°C threshold only 5 per cent of the time across all units. However, inconsistencies exist, particularly on the top floor (Level 3), which is colder than other levels. This reveals a potential flaw in the typology approach of green certifications, like Homestar, where certifying a single dwelling within an apartment building does not guarantee uniform thermal performance across all units.