Insulation helps make key difference

WARMER: Carl Vujnovich from Smart Energy Solutions talks to home owner Roberta Grant about her home, which was insulated under the Healthy Homes Scheme.PHOTO/JOHN BORREN

A housing insulation scheme has "changed the lives" of almost 2000 Bay of Plenty families, says one impressed resident.

More than 1958 Bay of Plenty families have received free or subsidised home insulation under the Government's Healthy Homes scheme.

Launched in July 2013, the Government's Warm up New Zealand, Healthy Homes initiative was a three-year plan aimed at providing free insulation to eligible homes throughout the country.

Local Gabrielle Stewart said insulation had made a substantial difference to her home.

"It has been really good and made such a noticeable change," Ms Stewart said.

"I had it put in the ceiling and under the floor and I also had two heat pumps put in too, which really helped."

Ms Stewart said she recommended the scheme and felt very "impressed" with the service and speed of the installation process.

Smart Energy Solutions regional manager Carl Vujnovich said the company had installed insulation in thousands of Tauranga homes and was now one of the largest companies in the Healthy Homes programme.

With an additional $400,000 funding from TECT, the company was able to insulate about 420 homes a year at little or no cost to the owner.

"Insulation is a feel-good industry and makes a fantastic impact on people's comfort, health and power bills," he said. "For most people it is the comfort of insulation they're seeking after living in a cold home and/or paying high heating costs. Possibly less understood by customers is the improvement to their health.

"Cold, damp homes are a major problem for anyone with respiratory conditions and the programme targets its support to the most vulnerable people - children and the elderly."

The scheme replaced the Warm up New Zealand, Heat Smart initiative, which had existed from 2009 to 2013.

The Energy Efficient and Conservation Authority's general manager of residential, Robert Linterman, said tighter building codes played a major role in both programmes.

"The Government identified the value around insulating homes because a lot of homes around New Zealand, pre-1978, weren't insulated under the building code," he said. "The building code changed in 2000 to make a greater level of insulation, meaning that houses dating before 2000 did not have the required level of insulation."

The authority hoped to have up to 300,000 homes insulated by the end of this year.