How aluminium louvres can contribute to Homestar ratings?

With the rising demand for sustainable building design, architects and builders throughout New Zealand are searching for ways to create energy-efficient spaces that improve comfort while lessening impact on the environment. The Homestar rating system, which offers an evaluation of a home's efficiency, warmth, and health, is a crucial yardstick for gauging this performance.

When thoughtfully included in building designs, aluminium louvres help increase Homestar ratings. In this article, we’ll examine the ways in which these flexible architectural features raise a home's sustainability and energy efficiency.

Understanding Homestar ratings and their importance

Homestar is New Zealand's independent residential rating tool that evaluates homes on a scale from 1 to 10. With nearly a million Kiwi homes performing poorly in terms of health and efficiency, Homestar provides a framework for improvement, focusing on energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, water conservation and overall sustainability.

• Lower energy and water bills
• Improved thermal comfort year-round
• Enhanced indoor air quality
• Reduced environmental footprint
• Potential increase in property value

The minimum Homestar rating for new homes built to the Building Code is 3 stars, while 6 stars represents good practice and 10 stars shows world-leading performance. For architects and designers wanting to exceed minimum standards, aluminium louvres can help.

Aluminium louvres NZ and energy efficiency

Passive solar design is a key component of the Energy, Health and Comfort (EHC) category, which has a significant impact on Homestar ratings. In this regard, aluminium louvres shine because they offer precisely calibrated solar shading that can adjust to changing seasons.

Solar gain management

When placed properly, louvre solutions act as a solar filter, blocking the harsh summer sun while allowing winter sunlight to warm interior spaces. This solar control system:

• Reduces reliance on mechanical cooling systems in summer
• Minimises heat loss through windows in winter
• Provides natural daylight without unwanted glare
• Creates more consistent indoor temperatures

Above north-facing windows, fixed louvre eyebrows can be angled to let in lower-angle winter sunlight while blocking summer sunlight. Similarly, vertical louvres on east and west facades can reduce heat gain during morning and afternoon hours when the sun is at a lower angle.

Thermal performance enhancement

By providing shade for building surfaces that would otherwise absorb heat and minimising thermal bridging effects around windows and doors, the thoughtful placement of louvre solutions directly contributes to thermal efficiency points within the Homestar framework.

They also minimise heat transfer through glazed areas and create buffer zones between interior spaces and exterior elements. Aluminium louvres help buildings receive higher ratings in the Homestar energy efficiency component by integrating these thermal performance advantages.

Proven energy efficiency

One of the main advantages that aluminium louvres offer Homestar-rated buildings is precise solar control. The impact that well-placed louvres have on seasonal shading is demonstrated by a recent Aurae project.
Different louvre angles provide the ideal balance of summer shading and winter solar gain, as shown by our shade analysis for a residential development. It calculated shading percentages throughout the day for both January (summer) and July (winter) for fixed louvre pergolas with Solaris 110 profiles at 250 mm spacings.
For example, with pergolas oriented 10° North of West, a 60° louvre angle provides:

• 35% average shading during January (summer)
• 33% average shading during July (winter)

This well-balanced approach permits valuable warming sunlight in the winter while allowing for a significant reduction in solar heat gain during summer months.

For pergolas with different orientations, the analysis revealed:

• Pergolas oriented 10° East of North achieve 40% summer shading and 20% winter shading with a 60° louvre angle
• Pergolas oriented 10° South of East achieve 27% shading year-round with a 50° louvre angle

This precise control of solar gain translates directly to energy savings, as homes require less mechanical cooling in summer while benefiting from natural solar heating in winter.

Sustainable materials and durability

Aurae's aluminium louvres offer several environmental advantages that make them ideal for meeting Homestar standards. The aluminium extrusions are sourced from New Zealand’s only smelter in Tiwai Point. Tiwai smelters aluminium using renewable energy, making their aluminium among the most environmentally friendly in the world. On top of this, aluminium is infinitely recyclable and can be recycled many years after its original use.

Aluminium also requires very little upkeep over its lifetime. Its extraordinary durability means there is less need for replacement and related waste, resulting in a building element that is genuinely sustainable and can be counted on to function for many years.

How Aurae can help

Aluminium louvres' advantages in energy efficiency and aesthetic appeal make them a valuable addition to Homestar-rated projects. They produce homes that are more aesthetically pleasing, energy-efficient, and comfortable when carefully incorporated into building designs.

Aurae can provide shading reports showing how much shade the louvres will bring to your project throughout the various seasons. This all adds up to a product that makes your project look good and contributes to Homestar ratings.