Keeping social housing warm and dry

The Government will spend $35.8 million over the next year helping tenants living in cold, damp conditions to warm up their homes, Social Housing Minister and Housing New Zealand Minister Amy Adams has announced.

“We know that insulated homes are easier to heat and cheaper to keep warm. Warmer homes mean fewer visits to the doctor and less time off work or school. It also helps reduce diseases, such as respiratory illnesses and rheumatic fever,” says Ms Adams.

“All Housing New Zealand social houses, where possible, have been insulated. More than 85 per cent, or around 50,300 social houses are fully insulated, with the rest insulated where practical. But we want to ensure that our social housing is warmer, drier and healthier for our tenants.

“An investment of $35.8 million over the next financial year will see 10,200 social houses upgraded with new heating, ventilation and thermal curtains under the Warm and Dry programme.”

It includes:

• fitting triple-weave curtains in living and dining rooms, and bedrooms

• installing a fixed form of heating in the living area

• putting in extraction fan in the bathroom and range-hood in the kitchen

• installing carpet or vinyl over bare floors.

“The Warm and Dry programme is helping make homes warmer and healthier on a scale we have never seen before.

“Since June 2015, 25,630 households throughout New Zealand have had their homes warmed up under the Warm and Dry programme at a cost of $81.3 million,” says Ms Adams.

“This is all part of the $1.4 billion that Housing New Zealand has spent over the last three years on maintenance and upgrades to its social housing.”

All Housing New Zealand properties are already insulated wherever practical, fitted with smoke alarms and have at least one fixed heating source. In addition, many homes will already have one or more of the four elements of Housing New Zealand’s warm and dry standard, such as curtains, carpet, and additional heating or extractor fans. The difference with the Warm and Dry programme is that Housing New Zealand is systematically going through all properties to make sure they are assessed based on all four elements of the new standard.

ENDS

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