Jeff and Renate’s eHaus – 12 years of comfort and savings

As part of our 15^th birthday celebrations, we visited three of our original clients to see firsthand the impact their homes have had on their lives and check how the homes are performing after all this time. Here is the second client story in our birthday series, make sure you check out the other stories too.

Jeff and Renate also moved into their eHaus Euro in 2013. Both from the UK and now retired, Renate was a nurse and Jeff owned retail shops in the UK, following a stint in the army as a radio technician. To date, their home in Whanganui has saved an impressive 42,480kg of carbon thanks to the predicted heat energy savings of 95%!  

Having lived in the UK and built two houses before, the couple felt they should be able to improve on their past homes. When they heard about eHaus building high performing homes, they began their own research which “proved very decisively that this was the right way to build,” says Jeff. “Our UK house performance was good but did require central heating and a log fire. Our first NZ build was reasonable but as soon as the sun went down the heat disappeared through the walls and poor-quality windows, even though they were double glazed!”

Now in their eHaus, with the interior design done by Renate and carpentry, electrical and plumbing work completed by Jeff, Jeff says the home is “exactly what we wanted and more. Having a ventilation system and fresh air all the time is my favourite aspect.”

“I have been in houses in New Zealand where it’s quite uncomfortable in most of the rooms. Windows are dripping with condensation. The cost of keeping this type of home must be crippling.” But that is not the case for Jeff and Renate who live in comfort every day. The 5KW photovoltaic solar panels and solar thermal hot water systems means the home generates its own energy, providing huge savings, and in the middle of a New Zealand winter, had a power bill of $138 (July 2024) and in January 2025 it was only $23 (and that includes charging the Electric Vehicle!).

“If the New Zealand building code ever comes up to the eHaus standard, just think how much healthier, richer and warmer our people would be. If you’re thinking of building a new home, then building a standard house is the worst decision you could ever make. Build a high performing home!”

Jeff Williams

Your can find out more about this home here.