28,000 Potential Fires Still In New Zealanders Homes

The Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (MBIE) is urging everyone to check any bathroom heaters they have and remove them if they are included in last year’s Serene heater recalls. This is due to a significant risk to lives and property.

A year since the recalls were issued, MBIE is aware of approximately 28,000 Serene S2068 Heaters still in properties across the country, despite a compulsory recall and a prohibition to use. Due to this, MBIE is launching a new campaign encouraging people to remove this heater.

“So far, since the recall was announced last year, around 16,000 heaters have been decommissioned by electricians or returned to the store they were bought from,” says MBIE spokesman Ian Caplin.

“That’s a fantastic figure to see, knowing that 16,000 of our homes are safer, and a lot of that work is down to the committed electricians and suppliers working across the country to support this recall.

“However, we want to see that figure rise. We know over Christmas there were two fires because of these heaters, and as the heaters get older and the known issues inside them get worse, and as we get into colder months, we are likely to see more and more fires occur.

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“Don’t let the next fire be in your home. We urge you to check your bathroom, your parents’ bathrooms, your rentals, your hotel or motel’s bathroom, wherever you find yourself. If you find a S2068 Serene Heater, turn it off, don’t use it, and contact the supplier it was bought from.”

MBIE has been working with stakeholders such as Master Electricians to improve the information available around the recall, both to New Zealand households, and to the electricians and suppliers who are undertaking the recalls.

“It’s so important to check for these heaters,” says Mr Caplin.

“We have also discussed the recall with the Insurance Council who have advised that a fire that occurs from these heaters may not be covered by your home insurance if you do not act on the recall guidance, so keeping them in your homes not only risks lives, but your savings too.

“We've heard from our overseas counterparts that they only see around 20% of the products returned when a recall is issued. The fact that we have almost 37% returned really highlights the work being done, but also the need for more people to make sure they are checking their bathrooms.”

Find out more about how to check if your heater was included in the recall, what other models pose a risk, and what you can do if you have one of these heaters on the Consumer Protection website.

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