Homes to feel the heat this winter

Homes in Palmerston North can now become a whole lot warmer due to a new financing programme available from Palmerston North City Council.

The Warm Up Palmy scheme offers financial support for ratepayers wanting to take part in the government subsidised insulation scheme, but who don't have the funds upfront.

"It's one of the projects we have embarked upon to implement our Domestic Energy Strateg - we want to help residents to use less energy," says Mayor Jono Naylor.

There is a particular need for the extra funding in Palmerston North, where the take-up of subsidies for insulation has been relatively low. Since July 2009, only 1,330 homes have accessed funding to install insulation.

Under the new system, a maximum of $2600 is available for up to 190 homes while the scheme is in its pilot phase, which runs until June 2013. After that, the scheme will be re-evaluated.

Something that will make this plan particularly popular is that it will only affect the rates of those who opt in. Insulation and admin costs are recovered from the homeowner over a period of up to nine years, meaning that it can cost as little as $7 a week to cover the remaining balance.

"The new funding will be beneficial in terms of price and comfort. The aim of the strategy is to 'promote a reduction of energy in the residential sector'," says PNCC eco design advisor Adriana Fontan.

Though the plan was only announced last Thursday, applications are already pouring in and it won't be long before the first houses are insulated under the new scheme.

"The idea of making extra funding available came from other councils around the country who have had success with similar schemes. The thought behind it all is to help more people take advantage of the available funding," says Ms Fontan.

To be eligible for funding, rate payments must be up to date, and the house in question must be built prior to 2000.

The insulation work can only be done by companies that have registered for the plan, of which there are about eight in Palmerston North.

The Warm Up Palmy scheme is an offset of the nationwide Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart project, which was initiated in 2009. Since then, more than 204,000 homes have been insulated with government aid.

The plan also aims to get more rental properties insulated, which have typically been slow on the uptake, adding up to only 28,000 of the total homes insulated, according to the Citizens' Advice Bureau.