Media release
6 May 2013

Encouraging Aucklanders to insulate their homes

Now summer is giving way to cooler conditions, homeowners are invited to explore Auckland Council’s initiatives to prepare their properties for the winter months.

Whether upgrading an existing home or building a new one, Auckland homeowners can benefit from council’s free home assessment from trained Eco Design Advisers. Advisers give independent and informed advice on how to create a healthier home and environment and save on household running costs.

Auckland Council is also helping people to make their homes warmer through financial assistance packages. The Retrofit Your Home programme offers up to $5,000 towards the cost of insulation and clean heating solutions, with the first $1,300 of insulation upgrades being offered free under the Government funded Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) Energywise subsidy.
Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse says around 400,000 homes in Auckland have no or inadequate insulation. The vision of the Auckland Plan is to substantially raise living standards for all Aucklanders and focus on those most in need.
“The Retrofit Your Home programme helps more families in Auckland have access to well-insulated, warmer and healthier homes,” she says.

“With winter approaching, we’re encouraging people to apply now for the support available. An early application will help ensure the insulation, heating or other solutions homeowners decide on is organised before the cold weather sets in.”

Since its regional launch in 2011, over 5,500 Auckland homes have already taken part in the Retrofit Your Home programme. Repayments under the scheme are added to the homeowner’s rates bill over a nine-year period, so the borrowing is attached to the property and not the individual.

More information on the programme, and how to apply, is available online at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or by calling 09 301 0101.

To book a consultation with an Eco Design Adviser, or to arrange a presentation at an event, email Eion.scott@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Ends

Editors notes
• Available regionally since July 2011, Auckland Council’s Retrofit Your Home scheme has just received an additional $2 million funding boost to help ensure more people across the region can benefit from the programme during this financial year.
• To be eligible for assistance under the Retrofit Your Home programme, the applicant must be an Auckland Council ratepayer with a good payment history and up-to-date rates payments, and the house to be retrofitted must have been built before 2000.
• Under the programme, up to $5000 financial assistance can be applied for through the council towards the cost of retrofitting their home, with the money to be repaid over nine years through the property’s rates bill. (Interest applies.)
• Eligible households can apply for the Warm-Up New Zealand: Heat Smart home insulation programme for an ENERGYWISE™ grant from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) which does not have to be repaid. More information can be found on this online at www.energywise.govt.nz
• A survey of homeowners using the Eco Design Service showed that 80 per cent made changes to their existing house or new house design as a result of receiving the advice. The most popular improvements were ceiling and underfloor insulation, lined curtains or drapes, draught proofing and energy efficient lighting.

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