Wāhanga tūmahi: Te pūngao whare
Action area: Building energy

Wellington ratepayers have had access to free home energy assessments for the last eight years.

The 2021-31 Long-term Plan included funding to continue to promote warm, dry, efficient homes. This will enable us to expand the Home Energy Saver Programme to achieve coverage of 30% of Wellington homes by 2029.

Find out how to get a free Home Energy Saver Assessment.

The Business Energy Saver programme will provide business owners and landlords with a free energy audit, action plan and connect them with a provider.

This programme will offer a cheap option for Wellington businesses so they can make energy and emissions reductions.

The programme is still being developed, with a launch expected in late 2022.

The Council’s Environmental & Accessibility Performance Fund has been created to support more environmentally sustainable and accessibly designed buildings across Wellington. 

The fund is open to both new and retrofitted buildings. It offers up to $500,000 for commercial buildings, and $2M for multi-unit residential buildings, that meet size and certification criteria. The fund will run until June 2030, and applications can be made online.

It is intended to cover a portion of the costs associated with building improvement, and to support the broader Council outcomes around health, environment and accessibility.

Currently, the fund is not open to residential buildings smaller than 10 units.

For resources around improving existing and new homes and buildings, refer to our Sustainable homes and buildings pages.

The construction and demolition industry is one of the largest waste producing industries in New Zealand.

We need to develop better ways to dispose of demolition waste and make sure we avoid producing excess waste with new builds.

Our 2020 Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw requires building projects over $2 million to submit a waste management plan to reduce and divert waste from landfills.

Find out more about construction and demolition waste planning.

The Council encourages large-scale commercial and residential developments to incorporate electric vehicle-ready technology and infrastructure into their build.

Not only will this save on future costs for landlords, but it will make sure we’re ready for our buildings to support the shift to electric.

We'll be adding more information to support this through our District Plan design guides.

Building on the Neighbourhood Grids project, we'll explore solar installations in the community.

Solar power and battery systems offer both sustainability and resilience benefits.

Find out more about solar power.

We'll save energy and reduce emissions by embedding sustainable design and planning in the design guides for the draft District Plan.

Find out more about the District Plan.

Our current building code does not meet many of the standards for insulation required by other countries with similar climates.

They're looking at ways to reduce emissions from buildings during their construction and operation, while also preparing them to withstand changes in the climate.

Find out more about the Hīkina Whakatutuki Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Building for climate change programme and Building Code update 2021.

The majority of homes that will exist in 50 years have already been built. The Government are looking to support the upgrade of homes to use less gas, electricity, and water while making sure they are warmer and healthier.

Find out more about the Te Tari Tiaki Pūngao Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Warmer Kiwi Homes grants for heating and insulation.

Find the requirements for rental properties to meet the healthy homes standards.