Energy Efficient Homes Ltd

Energy Efficient Homes Ltd Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Energy Efficient Homes Ltd, Construction Company, 8/22 Lowther Street, Christchurch.

Christchurch Design & Build Specialists for Energy Efficient Homes
Our integrated design-and-build approach brings architecture, building science and construction together to create high-performance homes.

22/08/2026

Building a house is expensive, but it is worth cost-cutting on energy efficiency?

While the upfront building price of an energy efficient home may be higher, the running costs can be much lower, and those savings can quickly outweigh the extra cost of building better in the first place.

It's not just about how much a house will cost up front. It's also about how much a house will cost to live in.

Watch the full episode to understand why a cheaper house isn't always cheaper to live in - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

21/08/2026

What if you could look at a house and instantly know how energy efficient it is? You might be able to by 2028, if proposed changes in the building code go through.

Building would have an energy rating, much like the ratings used on appliances. An energy rating could give buyers a much clearer picture of how a home will perform before they buy it... and make poor-performing homes harder to hide behind cosmetic renovations.

Watch the full episode to hear Robert’s thoughts on where New Zealand housing could be heading - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

20/08/2026

Can't kick the cold? It could be your cold, damp bedroom.

Many people try to cope with the cold by piling on blankets, wearing woolly hats or using heated blankets and hot water bottles. But those things warm your body without fixing the conditions in the room.

Cold indoor temperatures and high humidity can create an environment where condensation, mould and dust mites become a problem. And if you're breathing cold, damp air night after night, you're not addressing the underlying problem.

The answer isn't simply to put another blanket on the bed. A warmer, drier, better-performing home can make a real difference to the indoor environment you breathe in every night.

▶️ Watch the full episode to learn what your home could be doing to protect your health and comfort in winter - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

19/08/2026

How cold is TOO cold for your bedroom?

Robert looks at recommended sleeping temperatures and why very cold bedrooms can be a problem.

While adults are often advised to sleep around 18°C, young children and older adults may be more comfortable around 20°C.

Robert also points to the health risks associated with very cold indoor temperatures ... and the simple test many New Zealanders know all too well: being able to see your breath in bed.

A warm, healthy home isn't just about comfort. The temperature your home maintains overnight matters, too.

▶️ Watch the full episode to learn more about what makes a home genuinely warm, healthy and energy efficient - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

18/08/2026

Do you only think about how well your house performs when the monthly power bill arrives?

Robert explains why energy efficiency is about more than the size of your energy bill.

In a high-performance home, consistent temperatures throughout the house can mean you can actually use every room comfortably, rather than closing off cold rooms to save money.

Robert shares what his own 220-square-metre home used in total energy over a year to keep every room warm... and why being able to heat the whole house changes the way you live in it.

Watch the full episode to see what a genuinely energy-efficient home can feel like to live in - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

17/08/2026

Do solar panels actually make your home energy efficient?

Energy Efficient Homes founder and CEO Robert Whitehouse explains the difference between generating energy and reducing the amount of energy your home needs in the first place.

Solar panels can generate electricity, but they don't stop heat escaping from your house once the sun goes down.

The real question is: how much energy does your home need to begin with?

The better insulated, airtight and thermally efficient your home is, the less energy you need to put back into it.

Watch the full episode to learn what really makes a home energy efficient - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

16/08/2026

Could the shape of your house make it harder and more expensive to heat?

Energy Efficient Homes founder and CEO Robert Whitehouse explains why the relationship between a home’s air volume and its surface area matters for energy efficiency.

A compact shape has more internal volume relative to the surface area through which heat can escape, while narrow or highly articulated designs can have much more surface area to insulate and heat.

For homeowners building or renovating, it’s a useful reminder: energy efficiency starts with the design of the house, not just the products you put in it.

▶️ Watch the full episode to learn more about the building-science principles that can help you create a warmer, healthier home - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

16/08/2026

How does a whole-house ventilation system actually move fresh air through your home?

It helps to stop thinking of ventilation as something that happens in one room at a time. A heat-recovery ventilation system works as a whole-house system, with different rooms playing different roles.

Fresh air is supplied to living areas and bedrooms, while stale, moist air is extracted from wet areas such as bathrooms and kitchens. This creates a slow, controlled movement of air through the home.

Energy Efficient Homes founder Robert Whitehouse compares the system to an octopus: one central system with “tentacles” reaching into different parts of the house.

The key idea is simple: whole-house ventilation isn't about giving every room its own separate ventilation system. It's about getting the whole house working together.

▶️ Watch the full episode to learn more about how mechanical and heat-recovery ventilation work in an energy-efficient home - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

14/08/2026

Where does all the heat go when you take a hot shower on a freezing day?

When it's 0°C outside, your shower creates warm, moisture-filled air that contains energy you've already paid to produce. With a conventional extractor and an open window, much of that warm air simply goes outside.

But a heat-recovery ventilation system can capture much of that heat before the air leaves the house.

In this example, the indoor air is around 20°C while the outdoor air is 0°C. With a stated heat recovery rate of 94%, the incoming air could be around 19°C after passing through the heat exchanger. The outgoing and incoming air streams don't mix, but heat is transferred between them.

That means the energy you've already paid for isn't simply thrown outside. Much of it can be recovered and returned to the home while the moist, stale air is removed.

So when you open the window during a winter shower, you may be doing more than letting the steam out. You're letting your heating money out, too.

▶️ Watch the full episode to learn how heat-recovery ventilation helps manage moisture without wasting as much heat - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

13/08/2026

You might think that a more powerful extractor fan would do a better job of clearing smells and damp from your home. But there's a problem: if fresh air isn't coming in, the stale air can't get out effectively.

Energy Efficient Homes founder Robert Whitehouse explains the difference using a striking comparison. A standard extractor was moving air at 27 litres per second, yet the smell could still be detected 16 minutes later. In a Passive House, the air cleared much faster with a ventilation system moving just 6 litres per second.

Why? Because the Passive House system was doing two things at the same time: bringing fresh air in and extracting stale air out.

With heat-recovery ventilation, the incoming and outgoing air pass through a heat exchanger. The air streams don't mix, but heat from the outgoing indoor air can be transferred to the incoming fresh air. The system can then continuously ventilate the home, day and night, all year round.

So ventilation isn't simply about having a more powerful extractor fan. It's about creating a controlled flow of fresh air in and stale air out.

▶️ Watch the full episode to learn why ventilation matters in an energy-efficient home - https://youtu.be/7DR6J9c83jw

Address

8/22 Lowther Street
Christchurch

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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