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Greenhouse gas emissions from new building work must be reduced for New Zealand to meet its commitment to a net-zero carbon economy. 

Solid fuel appliances, including flue pipes and chimneys, must be regularly cleaned and maintained.

Damp-proof membranes (DPMs) or concrete underlays are necessary under on-ground concrete floor slabs to prevent moisture from the ground passing through the slab and damaging the interior finishes, fittings and contents.

Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods provide a means of demonstrating compliance with the relevant clauses of the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC). It is not mandatory to use Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods, but if used, building consent authorities (BCAs) and territorial authorities must accept them as providing compliance.

This bulletin highlights some of the key changes to New Zealand Building Code Acceptable Solutions and Verification Methods for clauses B1 Structure and E2 External moisture that have come into effect since 2012. It highlights the amendments introduced in 2019.

This bulletin replaces Bulletin 545 Key changes to B1/AS1 and E2/AS1.

Recent calculations suggest that the built environment accounts for up to 20% of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions. Both new and existing buildings will need to produce fewer emissions to help meet net-zero carbon targets set in law. 

This bulletin provides an introduction to the impacts of climate change and the move to a net-zero carbon economy on the New Zealand building industry.

The schedule method is the simplest, quickest and cheapest way to demonstrate compliance with Building Code clause H1 Energy efficiency but it is the most restrictive. You must meet minimum requirements for construction R-values for walls, floors, roofs and windows.

Topics covered in this self-paced module:

• What is the schedule method?
• How does it work?
• How could I go further?
• Library of useful materials

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

R-values measure how good something is at containing heat (or cold). R-values help designers to determine the level of energy efficiency performance - there are different requirements for different climates.

Topics covered in this self-paced module:

• What are R-values?
• Why are R-values important?
• How do I find my R-values?
• Library of useful materials

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

Modelling methods can either be done by a paid professional or by an individual using the Annual Loss Factor (ALF) online tool to demonstrate compliance with Building Code clause H1 Energy efficiency.

Topics covered in this self-paced module:

• What is a modelling method?
• What is the ALF tool?
• How does it work?
• How do I read the results?
• How could I go further?
• Library of useful materials

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

This module focuses on the basic concepts of timber treatment for use in buildings.

Topics covered in this self-paced module: 

• Why do I need to use different timber in different places?
• When can I use different timber?
• How do I know what it has been treated with?
• What fixing can I use with which treatment?
• What are common mistakes/problems with treated timber?
• Library of useful materials 

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you\'ll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

This module focuses on the concepts and features critical to the design of timber wall framing.

Topics covered in this self-paced module: 

• What do I need to know before I start?
• How do various loads impact wall framing?
• How do I resist load in a wall frame?
• Library of useful material
• Did I understand all of this? 

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

The structure and behaviour of moisture can help us understand why a house is having weathertightness issues and how to design to avoid those issues. Weathertightness issues in houses can lead to health problems, financial headaches and structural worries.

Topics covered in this self-paced module:

• Why is moisture important to understand?
• What form does H₂O take?
• How does it behave?
• Library of useful material

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

This module focuses on the concepts and features critical to the design of timber wall framing.

Topics covered in this self-paced module: 

• What loads impact on timber framing?
• How does a timber frame resist loads?
• What factors influence the impact of load on a frame?
• Library of useful material
• Did I understand all of this? 

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

Moisture can make its way into a house in a range of ways - exterior, interior, ground and construction. This module focuses on the effects of moisture on houses and the people who live in them.

Topics covered in this self-paced module:

• Where does it come from?
• Why is it important?
• In the past
• Library of useful material

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

This is a lighter version of LCAQuick that allows you to sort and format your data correctly but does not contain the functionality to calculate environmental impacts. Once your data is in the correct format, you can copy and paste it into the full version of LCAQuickV3.4.3, which will then calculate the environmental impacts.

Please ensure that you are using Microsoft Excel from 2016 or later.

LCAQuick is a free tool developed by BRANZ that helps architects, designers and structural engineers make sustainable design decisions. It evaluates the carbon footprint and other environmental impacts of a building design. It can be used by anyone with an interest to understand the environmental impacts of buildings across the life cycle.

The New Zealand Building Code sets out performance criteria that all building work must comply with. Minimum requirements in the Code, in Acceptable Solutions and referenced standards cover areas from thermal insulation to ventilation levels.

Many new houses are constructed to just meet the minimum requirements of the New Zealand Building Code. Better-performing houses may cost more to build but are much more comfortable to live in and have reduced running costs to offset the upfront cost.

Our houses will need to perform considerably better to help meet long-term national net-zero carbon targets.

This module focuses on the concepts and features critical to the design of a suspended timber floor system.

Topics covered in this self-paced module: 

• What factors influence the choice of floor system?
• What are the timber-framed suspended floor options?
• The relationship between floor system components
• The importance of subfloor bracing
• Library of useful material
• Did I understand all of this? 

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

The calculation method is a simple way to demonstrate compliance with Building Code clause H1 Energy efficiency, and it is slightly less restrictive than the schedule method. You may trade off some aspects of the design against others to determine the energy balance.

Topics covered in this self-paced module:

• What is the calculation method?
• How does it work?
• How could I go further?
• Library of useful materials

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

This module focuses on the basics of the Licensed Building Practitioners (LBP) Scheme. It is broken down into two paths – one for tradespeople and designers looking to become licensed and one for current licensed building practitioners.

Topics covered in this self-paced module: 

• The LBP Scheme and its benefits
• The roles and responsibilities of an LBP
• The scope to the different licence classes
• Skills maintenance
• Did I understand all of this? 

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

This module focuses on the basic concepts of timber treatment.

Topics covered in this self-paced module: 

• Why do we treat timber?
• What types of timber treatment are there?
• What types of chemicals are there?
• Why do I need to know how the timber has been treated?
• Library of useful materials 

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.

Water vapour is the gaseous form of water. This module focuses on how water vapour and the forces that act on it create condensation in buildings.

Topics covered in this self-paced module:

• Water vapour, pressure and saturation
• Relative humidity and dew point
• Predicting condensation and making design choices
• Library of useful material

Gain 100% in the test at the end of the module, and you'll receive a record of your completion that can be submitted as part of your CPD activity log.