Premises design

If your business is commissioning a new building or retrofitting an existing one, you can get long-term benefits by making the building as energy efficient as possible.

Commercial buildings account for about 9% of New Zealand's annual energy use and generate about 4% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing energy use will have a positive environmental impact. It will also increase your productivity by:

  • Minimising ongoing energy costs
  • Increasing staff productivity
  • Reducing staff absenteeism.

Research indicates that well designed, healthy workplace environments can result in self-reported productivity gains of up to 5%. [1]

Design guides

The following design guides are available to help you. They outline the energy efficiency considerations for new or existing building layout and design.

• An introduction to the benefits of energy-efficient design
• Small to medium commercial buildings
• Large new commercial buildings
• Commercial building fit-outs
• Commercial building retrofits

Design audits

If your building project is in its early stages, you would probabaly benefit from a design audit. Design audits check that your plans include the latest energy management best practice. They may even provide information on how you can reduce construction costs. Grants are available for design audits.

More information

Notes:

[1] "Users Perceptions of Health in Sustainable Buildings - Worldwide", George Baird and Hedda Oosterhoff, Presented at the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction, CIB W70 International Conference in Facilities Management, Heriot-Watt University, 16-18 June 2008, Edinburgh

 

From the Resource Centre

More related information: