Beacon

The Rotorua NOW Home® tenants have appreciated the warmth of the house during the day.  The sun floods into the living areas, onto the wide passageway connecting to the bathrooms and bedrooms, and onto the sheltered deck. 
With lots of windows and sunlight coming through the whole house, they have remarked on the good natural lighting.

The family covered the concrete floor with rugs, partly because poor finishing made it unsightly, and partly because the family feared their grandmother, an elderly lady, would fall and injure herself.  Alternatives to a full concrete slab floor would be leaving only part of the floor exposed or using thermal walls

The tenants however have found the house to be over-lit and difficult to control with a large number of lights on one switch. Lighting is an important factor in improving energy efficiency and comfortable use within a home.

Sun warms the concrete floor of the hallway, storing heat for the night time.