‘Great Sleeping Bag Race’ to promote importance of healthier homes

Seventy Wellingtonians will race to bag a retrofit insulation prize and up to $1000 off their power bills next week when they take each other on in a giant sleeping bag race across the city.

Wellington-based energy efficiency company Home&dry, part of Fletcher Building’s Healthy Home Group, is promoting the importance of a healthy home with a large-scale sleeping bag race through Wellington’s CBD next Tuesday. The race, being held on Tuesday, May 17 will help raise the awareness and importance of living in warm, dry healthy homes, Home&dry Business Unit Manager Kerry Shannon says.

“More than one million homes throughout New Zealand were built prior to insulation being mandatory and this has left a lot of families living in sub-standard conditions – especially in the winter months.

Many people still aren’t aware that insulation can be retrofitted into the home, which will make it warmer, drier and most importantly, healthier. Home&dry is also a registered provider of the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme and we’re able to offer generous subsidies as well", Mrs Shannon says.

"Poorly insulated homes can result in higher instances of poor health, increased respiratory issues, high mortality rates among the elderly, and as families are compensating for the heat going straight out through the ceiling, higher power bills.

"Holding a sleeping bag race through the CBD is a great way to promote healthy home awareness and the subsidies available for these important products.”

The inaugural ‘great sleeping bag race’, which is being run by radio station 91ZM, will begin at Plimmer Steps at 12:30pm with the finishing line on Woodward Street, near Midland Park. Seventy people will hop into pink sleeping bags and go ‘hell for leather’ to win a retrofit insulation package and up to $1000 towards their power bills, Ms Shannon says.

"It’s a great chance for somebody to win an insulation package for their home and enjoy a warmer, healthier home this winter". Kerry Shannon said.

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