Phil Twyford

Housing Spokesperson

MEDIA STATEMENT

10 March 2017

Investing in home insulation makes sense

The Government should listen to the calls from experts and renew the home insulation scheme, says Labour’s Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford.

“Last year’s Budget provided just $18m for home insulation, enough to insulate only a few thousand of the half a million uninsulated houses. This funding will run out in the middle of next year.

“Cutting funding for home insulation is short-sighted penny-pinching. Investing in making our homes warm and healthy to live in has huge benefits that far exceed the costs.

“For every dollar spent on the home insulation scheme, more than $6 of benefits have been realised for families and for the government. Cutting back on home insulation makes no sense.

“Bill English talks a big game on social investment but cutting home insulation shows how hollow that talk is.

“Investing in home insulation makes families healthier, saving the health budget money; kids that are healthier have better education outcomes; insulation saves families money on heating and, with it, reduces the country’s energy and carbon costs.

“With Andrew Little’s Healthy Homes Bill, that will require rentals to be properly insulated, soon back in front of Parliament, the time is right to renew the home insulation programme,” says Phil Twyford.

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