Welcome
Welcome to the Beacon website! Here you can find Beacon's research (2004-2010) into how to make New Zealand homes more resource-efficient, cheaper to run, healthier to live in – and kinder to our environment.
Latest News
18 June 2010
Launched! The Neighbourhood Sustainability Framework and Assessment Kit
Being HomeSmart
Looking for advice to improve your home’s performance? Beacon calls this being HomeSmart.
Look here for research-based advice on designing and renovating, and find out more about our benchmarks for a high-performing home, the HSS High Standard of Sustainability®.
Homes research
Our new build demonstration projects, the Waitakere NOW Home®, Rotorua NOW Home®, and NZHF HomeSmart Home have shown how to build homes that perform better.
Our two renovation projects, the Papakowhai Renovation project and the HomeSmart Renovation project, showed homeowners how to renovate smarter.
Neighbourhood research
Beacon’s research measured neighbourhood sustainability in New Zealand and produced a Neighbourhood Sustainability Framework and Assessment Kit. Data collected from surveys of New Zealand neighbourhoods is available to researchers.
Further research
We supported the demonstration projects with research into Energy, Water, Indoor Environment Quality and Systems/Materials. We also worked with local and central government and consumers to share what we learned.
Plus our research has helped to define the value of improving our homes: we believe the benefits are wider than cost savings for homeowners. Health, family relationships, jobs, the economy and the environment - all benefit from change.
New to the website
Making your home HomeSmart: A homeowner manual - what to watch out for when renovating, and how to get the best performance from your home.
Policy Options for Sustainable Homes: A Resource Manual for Local Government - information and examples to support councils in developing policies and programmes which encourage sustainable building and renovation.