Study shows benefits of retrofitting insulation

New study shows benefits of retrofitting home insulation – Govt must act

Green media release March 1, 2007

A New Zealand study* published in the British Medical Journal shows the economic, health, educational and energy benefits from retrofitting old houses with insulation says the Green Party, and the government must respond by dramatically increasing the low rate of house retrofitting that they are currently performing.

“This study by a group of respected New Zealand researchers proves what we all know – if you retrofit old, cold houses with decent insulation it makes them warmer in winter, they have lower humidity, they use less energy and the people living in them are healthier, they take less days off work and children take less time off school, says Russel Norman, Green Co-Leader and Economics’ Spokesperson.

“Retrofitting decent insulation to the 300,000 pre-1978 houses with little or no insulation is one of the simplest, most sensible things this government could do if it cared about social and environmental sustainability.

“The Government currently has a programme of retrofitting about 8000 houses per year, which would mean it would take until 2044 before they were all insulated. This is pathetic and short sighted. It means that poor families around the country are literally entered into a lottery to see who gets the retrofitted insulation.

“By partly or fully subsidising the insulation of these old houses we will reduce the health bill, we will improve educational outcomes for the poorest, we will reduce our electricity consumption and hence our greenhouse emissions, we will improve workplace productivity, and in the medium term we will save ourselves a lot of money.

“Often people don’t insulate because they can’t afford the money up front or because they rent. By providing no interest loans, by offering subsidies, or where necessary by paying for the full cost, we will enable this retrofitting to proceed much more rapidly.

“It is a win win win situation so long as you have the vision to see the big picture, and the foresight to see the long term benefits. The Greens have this vision and foresight but does the United Future / NZ First / Labour Government have it? Or will they instead give a $100million tax break to the racing industry and a $600million cut in the corporate tax rate with no targetted sustainability provisions?” asks Dr. Norman.

*Effect of insulating existing houses on health inequality: cluster randomised study in the community. BMJ 26 Feb 2007. Philippa Howden-Chapman, professor and director,1 Anna Matheson, PhD student,1 Julian Crane,professor and codirector,2 Helen Viggers, data analyst,1 Malcolm Cunningham, principal analyst,4 Tony Blakely, professor,3 Chris Cunningham, professor,5 Alistair Woodward, professor,6 Kay Saville-Smith, director,7 Des O’Dea, lecturer,1 Martin Kennedy, adviser,8 Michael Baker, senior lecturer and codirector,1 Nick Waipara, scientist,9 Ralph Chapman, associate professor,10 Gabrielle Davie, biostatistician1

ENDS

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