Uninsulated earthquake damaged homes can now get Pink Batts

Media Release
22 March 2013

Uninsulated earthquake damaged homes can now have their home insulated with Pink® Batts® wall insulation , another good call.

Pink® Batts® insulation will be at this weekends Rebuild & Renovate Christchurch Home Show to talk homeowners through the new EQC insulation policy. Experts from Christchurch will be on hand to discuss the insulation options available.

Homeowners getting their earthquake damaged homes repaired under the Canterbury Home Repair Programme are now able to have insulation installed in conjunction with their earthquake repairs.

The Canterbury Home Repair Programme is for homes that have sustained damage between $15,000 and $100,000 per claim plus GST.

The decision was made by the Earthquake Commission (EQC) in collaboration with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) on 4 March 2013.

Homeowners will now be able to pay for wall insulation to be installed as part of the EQR repair process. This is a home improvement that was previously not allowed under the old policy.

“This is a great opportunity for homeowners who are having repairs made to the walls of their quake affected homes to ask if it is suitable to have wall insulation installed” says Tony Te Au Pink® Batts® General Manager.

The benefits of a well-insulated home are well researched and compelling. An important consideration for Canterbury homeowners leading up to winter. As Pink® Batts® is made in Christchurch it is well situated to understand and supply the region.

Research shows that insulating even the walls of a few rooms can make a difference to the comfort and temperature in the room.

“We congratulate EQC on their decision to allow wall insulation to be installed during repairs as home owners will see the benefits immediately, particularly as the weather gets colder. The payback period for insulating bedroom walls is 1.88years and the opportunity doesn’t come around very often – why wouldn’t you do it?” says Nick Collins CEO of Beacon Pathway.

Beacon Pathway is an independent building research and project company that aims to improve the performance of New Zealand’s homes and neighbourhoods. The group are managing the ‘Build Back Smarter’ project in Christchurch.
Nick Collins says “We know that 63% of Christchurch homes were built before insulation became mandatory – so most of these will have no wall insulation. Earthquake repairs in Christchurch are an ideal opportunity to upgrade the home’s performance as part of the standard repair work”

An opinion shared by the World Health Organisation who reported that the benefits associated with improved insulation (increased room temperatures and decreased humidity) resulted in improved
self-rated health, wheezing, children taking a day off school and adults taking a
days off work. Visits to general practitioners were also less by occupants of insulated homes.

Pink® Batts® insulation has also recently become the only wall insulation product manufactured in New Zealand to be certified by the international GREENGUARD Environmental Institute Certification Program. The certification ensures that the materials used to make Pink® Batts® wall insulation have low chemical emissions, improving the quality of the air in which the products are used.

Ends

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