$3 million to insulate homes agreed by council

The Auckland Council has voted to make $3 million available for ratepayers wanting to insulate their homes. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Auckland Council has voted to make $3 million available for ratepayers wanting to insulate their homes.

At a meeting late last week, Mayor Len Brown and councillors voted for the move, which will be an expansion of the Retrofit Your Home programme available in West Auckland.

The programme was developed by the former Waitakere City Council and was launched last October with the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

Under the new programme, people will be able to apply for financial assistance of up to $5000, GST inclusive, so they can insulate their home.

Applications for assistance can be made from July.

They will then repay the council through the property's rates bills over nine years. At the council meeting, positive aspects of the programme were discussed, such as the idea that it would ultimately lessen the strain on the health sector, with fewer people coming down with the flu as a result of a warmer, healthier home.

It was agreed that the programme would be evaluated after one year, when it would be decided whether or not to continue running it, based on the results.

The majority of councillors voted for the programme, while councillors Cameron Brewer and George Wood voted against it.

After the meeting, Mr Brewer released a statement saying that he did not think the Retrofit Your Home scheme would help those people with lower incomes.

Mr Brewer said the programme would help only a few middle-class homeowners, who were already well served by the Government's home-insulation programme up and down the country.

That programme, also in partnership with the EECA, will see over 180,000 homes around the country insulated over four years. Up to 90,000 homes have already been insulated under the government programme.

"The scheme won't help renters because their landlords will not be prepared to pay the council an extra targeted rate to pay off the assistance," Mr Brewer said. "Can you image landlords ringing their tenants and telling them out of the kindness of their heart they're prepared to pay an extra targeted rate for nine years to keep their tenants toasty and dry?

"It's not going to happen. It will only appeal to a few on higher incomes who can afford further rates rises and who may view it as a good investment for future capital gain."