Beacon Pathway does research and demonstration programmes focused on how NZ homes can be warmer, drier, healthier, affordable, cost less to run, and low carbon, and how neighbourhoods can be adaptable, sustainable, and places where people enjoy living.

Beacon Pathway partners with organisations across the housing sector including BRANZ and government to produce robust research and present the information in useable forms. The knowledge base includes publicly available research across a range of topics including:

• Achieving good home performance in new homes

• Retrofitting older homes to high standards – healthier and more energy efficient

• Homeowner Manual, Factsheets and case studies

• Sustainable neighbourhoods

• Good practice medium density housing

• The National Value Case for Sustainable Housing Innovations demonstrating the national and economy-wide benefits of having housing at a higher standard of sustainability – covering efficiency, insulation, space and water heating retrofit.

The Beacon Pathway Waitākere NOW Home, a proof-of-concept sustainable house built in 2008, was designed and built to demonstrate improvements and efficiencies possible using materials and products available at the time...
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The home was intensively monitored including temperature, humidity, water and energy use, and liveability:

• The family used 33% less energy than an average similar household and 45% less than in their previous house, with reduced energy costs

• The family used half the average water use in Waitākere, with a rain tank supplying 47% of the home’s water needs in year 1 and 52% in year 2

• Significant health improvements for a child suffering asthma.

Eight years after its construction the Waitākere NOW Home had better performance (warmer, drier, requiring less heating) than 210 new homes consented in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch in 2016.

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