NZS 4218:2009
Thermal insulation - Housing and small buildings
Specifies the thermal insulation requirements for housing and small buildings. It provides three methods for demonstrating compliance with the New Zealand Building Code: Schedule, Calculation and Modelling methods. It guides the achievement of minimum thermal resistance through balancing solar gains from glazing, insulation, and thermal mass, in order to significantly reduce the energy requirements to heat and cool buildings.
Insulating your home is the most effective thing you can do to keep it warm, save energy and money. If you are looking to build or renovate, you need to make sure any new work complies with the insulation requirements set out in the Building Code. It is often worth spending a little extra and exceeding the minimum Building Code requirements to make your home as warm and comfortable as possible. This standard helps establish the levels of thermal insulation for houses and small buildings.
Note that the Fifth Editions of Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 and Verification Method H1/VM1 have replaced previous editions effective 29 November 2021. The latest edition no longer cites this standard. During the transition period the Fourth Edition Amendment 4 of Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 and Verification Method H1/VM1 can still be used for building consent applications submitted before 3 November 2022.
For further information please contact the Building regulator. Please note that this standard remains cited in residential Tenancies ( Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019.
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COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
COPYRIGHT
CONTENTS
REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
WEBSITES
REVIEW OF STANDARDS
FOREWORD
OUTCOME STATEMENT
1 GENERAL
1.1 Scope
1.2 Exclusions
1.3 Interpretation
2 DEFINITIONS
3 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
3.1 Integrity of thermal insulation
3.2 Construction R-value
3.3 Embedded heating systems
4 COMPLIANCE METHODS
4.1 Schedule method
4.2 Calculation method
4.3 Modelling method
APPENDIX
A – MEASUREMENT DETAILS
B – CLIMATE ZONES
C – WINDOWS AND GLAZING
D – ALTERATIONS
E – ORIENTATION
F – WORKED EXAMPLES
G – MODELLING METHOD – BUILDING ENERGY USE COMPARISON
Table
1 – Heated ceilings, walls or floors – Construction R-values
2 – Construction R-values for buildings with any wall type
3 – Construction R-values for buildings with solid timber walls
4 – Construction R-values for buildings with high thermal mass walls
5 – Reference building heat loss equations
6 – Reference building heat loss equations – Solid timber wall construction
7 – Reference building heat loss equations – High thermal mass wall construction
C1 – Thermal performance of generic windows in aluminium frame
C2 – Thermal performance of generic windows in composite aluminium fra
C3 – Thermal performance of generic windows in thermally broken aluminium frame
C4 – Thermal performance of generic windows in PVC/wooden frame
G1 – Default power densities for internal gains from occupants and plugloads
G2 – Default schedules for occupancy and plug loads – Percentage of maximum load or percentageof power density
Figure
1 – Decision flowchart
A1 – Thermal envelope
A2 – R-value locations
A3 – Element measurements
A4 – Roof measurement – Flat ceiling
A5 – Roof area measurements – Pitched ceiling
A6 – Wall area measurements
A7 – Window measurement – single window
A8 – Bay window measurement
A9 – Skylight measurement
A10 – Skylight with light shaft
B1– Climate zones
E1 – Orientation sectors
F1 – Simple example design
F2 – Example of design with different types of floor, wall, and glazing
F3 – Example of mixed timber framed and high thermal mass construction
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References
Concrete masonry buildings not requiring specific engineering design
Related Information
Building Code Compliance Document H1
Ministry: Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment - Building Systems Performance (BSP)
Section: AS1, VM1
Citation context:Revoked 29/11/2021
Note that the Fifth Edition of Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 and Verification Method H1/VM1 have replaced previous editions effective 29 November 2021. The latest edition no longer cites this standard. During the transition period the Fourth Edition Amendment 4 of Acceptable Solution H1/AS1 and Verification Method H1/VM1 can still be used for building consent applications submitted before 3 November 2022.”
Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019
Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Section: 3 Interpretation
Citation context:NZS 4218:2009 means New Zealand Standard NZS 4218:2009 (Thermal Insulation—Housing and Small Buildings)
Residential Tenancies (Smoke Alarms and Insulation) Regulations 2016
Ministry: Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment - Records & Library Services
Section: 3 Interpretation
Citation context:Zone 1, zone 2, and zone 3 are to be read in accordance with Appendix B (Climate Zones) of New Zealand Standard NZS 4218:2009 (Thermal Insulation – Housing and Small Buildings).
Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019
Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Section: 14(4)
Citation context:In this regulation, zone 1, zone 2, and zone 3 have the same meanings as in Appendix B of NZS 4218:2009.
Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019
Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Section: Schedule 2, 1 Interpretation
Citation context:construction R-value has the same meaning as in NZS 4218:2009 (but see also subclause (2))
Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Amendment Regulations 2022
Ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Section: 4
Citation context:... the insulation and glazing meets or exceeds NZS 4218:2009 for that zone
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COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
COPYRIGHT
CONTENTS
REFERENCED DOCUMENTS
WEBSITES
REVIEW OF STANDARDS
FOREWORD
OUTCOME STATEMENT
1 GENERAL
1.1 Scope
1.2 Exclusions
1.3 Interpretation
2 DEFINITIONS
3 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
3.1 Integrity of thermal insulation
3.2 Construction R-value
3.3 Embedded heating systems
4 COMPLIANCE METHODS
4.1 Schedule method
4.2 Calculation method
4.3 Modelling method
APPENDIX
A – MEASUREMENT DETAILS
B – CLIMATE ZONES
C – WINDOWS AND GLAZING
D – ALTERATIONS
E – ORIENTATION
F – WORKED EXAMPLES
G – MODELLING METHOD – BUILDING ENERGY USE COMPARISON
Table
1 – Heated ceilings, walls or floors – Construction R-values
2 – Construction R-values for buildings with any wall type
3 – Construction R-values for buildings with solid timber walls
4 – Construction R-values for buildings with high thermal mass walls
5 – Reference building heat loss equations
6 – Reference building heat loss equations – Solid timber wall construction
7 – Reference building heat loss equations – High thermal mass wall construction
C1 – Thermal performance of generic windows in aluminium frame
C2 – Thermal performance of generic windows in composite aluminium fra
C3 – Thermal performance of generic windows in thermally broken aluminium frame
C4 – Thermal performance of generic windows in PVC/wooden frame
G1 – Default power densities for internal gains from occupants and plugloads
G2 – Default schedules for occupancy and plug loads – Percentage of maximum load or percentageof power density
Figure
1 – Decision flowchart
A1 – Thermal envelope
A2 – R-value locations
A3 – Element measurements
A4 – Roof measurement – Flat ceiling
A5 – Roof area measurements – Pitched ceiling
A6 – Wall area measurements
A7 – Window measurement – single window
A8 – Bay window measurement
A9 – Skylight measurement
A10 – Skylight with light shaft
B1– Climate zones
E1 – Orientation sectors
F1 – Simple example design
F2 – Example of design with different types of floor, wall, and glazing
F3 – Example of mixed timber framed and high thermal mass construction
STANDARDS COUNCIL
- H1
Previous versions
NZS 4218:2009
Online Library subscription information
Online library subscriptions provide a cost-effective solution for organisations of any size to access the latest standards, offering 24/7 access to a personalised catalogue. The service ensures subscribers have have the most up-to-date version of selected standards, incluing automatic updates for any amendments or versions. Pricing is dependent on the chosen standards and the number of concurrent users, with discounts applied from the standards PDF price. For customised subscriptions or further inquiries, contact the Online Library team.