Thousands of Bay homes will be warmer this winter though Warmer Kiwi Homes

Energy & Resources Minister Megan Woods with CEA installation manager Les Norris. Photo / Supplied

Thousands of insulation and heating retrofits have warmed Bay of Plenty homes under the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme, and more can be expected.

Insulation installers for the Government's Warmer Kiwi Homes programme are gearing up to take on more staff after last week's $56 million funding boost, the Energy Minister Megan Woods said in a press release today.

The Warmer Kiwi Homes programme is part of Labour's Confidence and Supply Agreement with the Green Party.

As of the beginning of March, there had been nearly 2500 insulation and heating retrofits in the Bay of Plenty region under Warmer Kiwi Homes.

This included 1902 insulation retrofits and 517 heating retrofits.

Woods said the funding boost will deliver an additional 9000 insulation and heating retrofits, and grants would increase to cover 90 per cent of these costs across New Zealand.

There had also been significant third-party funding that has been leveraged through the programme to date.

Woods said with the Government now meeting 90 per cent of the cost, they expected that top-ups from third-party community organisations would make retrofits free to many applicants.

"Insulation and efficient heaters don't prevent the spread of Covid-19 but a warm, dry home does protect the most vulnerable and decreases the risk of hospital admissions from respiratory disease."

The Warmer Kiwi Homes programme recently reached a milestone with more than 20,000 installs of insulation and efficient heaters nationwide, Woods said.

"We are very proud of this achievement, that's a large number of Kiwi households looking forward to a warmer and drier home this winter."

Woods encouraged homeowners to find out if they are eligible and apply for a grant.

"It's a great opportunity to improve the quality of New Zealand housing, as well as the health, comfort and wellbeing of people."

You can check whether you're eligible for a grant by visiting their website.

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