We offer personalised advice for designing sustainable homes and buildings. So whether you’re building a new home or renovating, we can guide you on reducing your carbon footprint, lowering energy bills, and creating healthier spaces.

Book a free Eco Design Advisor consultation

Consultation for new builds will be held at the Council's Civic Offices at 53 Hereford Street.

Consultation for renovation and retrofit can either be at your home or the Civic Offices.

Advice is available for everyone – homeowners, home designers, builders and any industry professionals. If you are an architect, you can earn 10 CPD points for a two-hour consultation with our Eco Design Advisor.

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Eco design advisors

We provide personalised and impartial advice on home performance and energy efficiency.

We will work with you to find the right options for your home and budget. Our Eco Design Advisor offers a range of practical advice to help, including no and low-cost options.

Backed by the Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ), eco design advisors have access to specialists, design tools, assessment methods and building material information.

We advocate for creating healthier buildings, improving energy, water and material use, minimising waste, and reducing the environmental impact of buildings.

The benefits

Our certified home performance and eco-design advisors will provide up to an hour of free expert advice on how you can make your existing house or new build warmer, drier and more energy efficient. With our expert advice, you can:

  • Create a more comfortable living or working environment.
  • Reduce your environmental impact, waste and carbon footprint.
  • Reduce mould and condensation.
  • Lower your energy consumption and save on electricity bills.
  • Enhance the value of your property with sustainable design features.
  • Understand your options for ventilation, heating and cooling.
  • Find out about solar system options.
  • Get assistance for planned new builds and renovation projects.

Our Eco Design Advisors are qualified Homestar(external link) assessors.  They also offer regular workshops or presentations for the building industry and community groups.

To talk with an Eco Design Advisor, call 03 941 8999 or email eco-advisor@ccc.govt.nz. 

Why get a free home assessment

We are in the era of the indoor generation, now spending 80% of our life indoors. The indoor environment should be warm and dry to ensure it's a healthy environment for people to thrive. It is now well known that a damp cold house will increase occupants' likelihood of developing respiratory symptoms.

In New Zealand:

  • One in six have a respiratory disease.
  • Asthma is the third most common cause of death.
  • Asthma costs the country $6 billion per year.
  • One in seven children have asthma (Asthma Foundation, 2021).

A better-performing house equals a more comfortable and cosy home which results in improved respiratory health.

If your home is cold, or has a moisture problem or mould, get in contact with our Sustainable Design Advisor.

Meet Julie, our Eco Design Advisor

Julie is our friendly Eco Design Advisor, with 15 years’ experience as an architect Julie has a passion for sustainability, technology and efficiency, building her skills and knowledge in Canada, Switzerland and for the past 12 years, New Zealand.

She has a sound understanding of building science and can deliver it in a way that people can understand. Julie works within the Building Consenting Unit at the Council and can provide tailored and technical advice directly to designers if needed.

Julie is one of six Eco Design Advisors situated within Councils around New Zealand. The award-winning service was established almost 20 years ago and ensures there is free independent advice available to the public on how to improve the health and comfort of their homes. 

For more information visit the Eco Design Advisor website(external link).

EECA heater and insulation grants 

You may be eligible for funding for a heater, insulation or both under the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme. To find out more information on this programme visit the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA)(external link).

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