Development of a simple residential rating tool capable of being used by home owners to assess the building performance of their dwellings should be a priority of industry and the Government, says the Building Industry Federation. Chief Executive Bruce Kohn said today that with up to one million New Zealand homes that may be deficient in areas including structure, indoor air quality and moisture levels, it is clear that a home rating tool that can be used to assess the integrity of the whole building envelope is urgently needed. Recent reports highlight the risk that our homes create to the health, safety and wallets of thousands of Kiwis. Studies carried out by the Wellington School of Medicine underline the health dangers. "Existing home owners, especially those with dwellings older than 30 years, rarely have any detailed knowledge of their home's energy and environmental soundness or efficiency. For example, in the absence of any readily available means of checking the thermal performance of their homes or rental properties, they may well be over spending on heating, or be putting up with homes that are colder and less healthy than they should be. This is a cost both to them and the country as a whole. "Development of an inexpensive simple tool to assess a home's performance would, in our view, contribute significantly toward making regular assessment a routine part of home ownership. "Reports from the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development and evidence accumulated by the Beacon Pathways sustainable home projects show the value to home owners of efficient house performance in structure, energy and water use. "Residential performance ratings could quickly become a regular attribute in real estate transactions to the benefit of home owners and purchasers. "The Australian Capital Territory now requires mandatory disclosure of key aspects of a home's performance. Those that perform better are rewarded both in use and resale value." ends