Improvements for a healthy home
About this tool
The improvements for a healthy home tool helps you understand how different parts of a house affect comfort, warmth and wellbeing.
It highlights common places where moisture builds up and heat is lost and shows practical ways to improve indoor living conditions. By exploring different areas of a typical home, you can learn how to make your space healthier, more comfortable and easier to heat.
The tool is designed for anyone living in, maintaining, or upgrading a home, no technical knowledge required.
Check out the Improvements for a Healthy home app
How to use this tool
Using the improvements for a healthy home tool is simple and interactive:
- Explore different areas of the house, such as the roof space, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, subfloor and living areas
- Click on each area to discover common issues like dampness, condensation, draughts and heat loss
- Learn about practical improvements that can help reduce moisture, improve warmth and support better indoor health.
You can move through the home at your own pace and focus on areas most relevant to your living situation, whether you’re planning upgrades or just wanting to understand your home better.
Background
New Zealand homes can be affected by cold, damp conditions, which can impact comfort, energy use, and health. Moisture and heat loss often occur in hidden or overlooked areas of a house.
The improvements for a healthy home tool was developed by BRANZ to help people identify these problem areas and understand how small changes can make a meaningful difference. It supports informed decisions about maintenance, renovation, and improvements that contribute to warmer, drier and healthier homes.
The advice provided is educational and general in nature and is intended to raise awareness of typical issues found in homes rather than provide detailed construction solutions.