Homes warmer and drier thanks to home insulation grants

Issued by WEL Energy Trust
28 September 2012
Media Release
For immediate use

Homes warmer and drier thanks to home insulation grant programme
Since 2004, the WEL Energy Trust Healthy Homes programme has been helping residents who meet certain criteria get their homes retrofitted with proper insulation. More than 2000 homes are now warmer, drier and more energy efficient thanks to the programme. This year alone, more than 167 households have benefitted. “This work is subsidised, with the only cost to the homeowner being a contribution of $100 plus GST,” says Andy Gowland-Douglas, general manager at WEL Energy Trust. “If it’s a tenanted property, the landlord is required to contribute $500 plus GST.”

Rob Hamill, chair of the WEL Energy Trust energy efficiency sub-committee, says this project is significant for the trust. “Not only does it increase energy efficiency, it also improves the wellbeing of residents, which has many positive flow-on effects for families and the whole community. As a community funder with an interest in positively impacting on community wellbeing, this is equally important to the Trust.“We urge anyone who thinks they might be eligible to get in touch, as this really does make an immense difference,especially to the health outcomes for children.”

Having insulated homes has made a significant difference to the lives of many families.

Feedback from families who have benefited from the programme includes:
• “Before we got our home insulated by WEL EnergyTrust our children had so many days off school due to asthma. Now they have hardly any time off school.” -Mother of two, Frankton
• “I hardly ever use the de-humidifier now – all the condensation has now gone. Love not having to wipe the windows down each day. Thanks WEL Energy
Trust!” - Retired couple, Hamilton
• “Before we got our house insulated it used to be warmer outside. Now thanks to you guys we can be inside our house.” Family, Huntly
• “The grandchildren have been a lot healthier and can now crawl around on the floor without freezing. Thank you so very much!” – Grandmother, Raglan
• “Our power bills have reduced quite considerablysince our home was insulated. I just cannot believe it. Thank You for caring.” – Family of six, Ngaruawhia
• “I walk around our house and cannot believe the difference it has made. We don’t have to wear coats inside any more. Thanks!”- Young mum, Hamilton East Insulated homes are healthier, cheaper to run and better for the environment.

Older New Zealand homes were often built without insulation, so many Kiwis are still suffering in chilly, damp, mouldy homes. Insulating older homes leads to a significant increase in indoor temperature and a drop in humidity, according to a New Zealand study directed by Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman from Otago University.

“A small difference in temperature thanks to insulation can make a big difference to someone’s health,”Prof. Howden-Champman says. “After insulation, we saw an improvement in health, energy efficiency and a positive effect on reducing carbon emissions. “The respiratory health of the children changed and we saw a big positive change in the wellbeing of the people in the households.”

People from 1350 low-income Kiwi households who took part in the study reported a significantly higher level of comfort aftertheir homes were insulated, and their houses felt much less damp and mouldy. Their frequency of exposure to temperatures below 10 deg. Celsius dropped by one-third and relative humidity dropped too, the study showed. “Householders spent significantly less on heating their houses after the intervention and these savings may have increased their effective disposable income.”

Smarter Homes and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) reports that despite evidence a cold house affects people’s health, New Zealand homes are often much colder than they should be. Household air temperatures below 16 degrees Celsius increase levels of condensation, mould and mildew, maximising the risk of respiratory diseases like asthma, EECA reports. According to EECA’s latest research, 42 per cent of people noticed improved health since insulation was fitted. That number rises to 63 percent when they asked people who regularly suffer from sickness like colds and asthma.

EECA is a part funder of the WEL Energy Trust Healthy Homes programme, and the programme is run on behalf of WEL Energy Trust by WEL Networks.

WEL Energy Trust owns lines company WEL Networks ltd. on behalf the community and has publically elected trustees. In addition to funding energy efficiency programmes the trust also distributes over 2 million dollars of funding to community groups working within the trust’s boundaries each year.

Warming up

-ENDS-

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