500 homes to be insulated on the West Coast for free

22 September 2011

500 homes to be insulated on the West Coast for free

Five hundred West Coast homes will be insulated for free through a joint venture between the West Coast District Health Board, Autex GreenStuf, contractor The Insulation Company, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) via the Government’s insulation programme Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart (WUNZ).

The DHB’s role is to indentify people in the community most at risk due to living in households with poor home insulation. Households nominated by the DHB for the project will also have to meet other criteria required by the WUNZ and the GreenStuf Home Insulation programmes.

Research shows that better home insulation and heating leads to better health outcomes, for people with the added benefit of reduced public health costs.

Wayne Turp, the DHB’s General Manager Planning and Funding, says the scheme is about helping vulnerable families and making the best use of funding, not just the DHB saving money on hospital visits.

“If a scheme like this means that there are fewer admissions from respiratory illness, which frees up funding for the provision of other services.

“It also means a much more comfortable home environment and an opportunity for vulnerable people who live in low income households to save money on heating.”

EECA Chief Executive Mike Underhill says the project is another case of an organisation recognising the value of insulating for the sake of the community’s health and well-being.

“More and more organisations recognise Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart as a great way to invest in their community. Warmer, healthier homes for the community and good outcomes for the partners mean it’s a win-win situation.”

The project will be delivered by Wellington-based business The Insulation Company in conjunction with local installers based in Greymouth.

Following referral from the West Coast DHB, the nominated home owner or tenant must hold a valid Community Services Card and the house must have been built before 1 January 2000 to be eligible for the free insulation package.

The insulation material to be used is called GreenStuf , an environmentally-friendly polyester product that is heat-bound rather than chemically-bound like fibre-glass insulation. It has Asthma Foundation approval and carries a durability warranty of 50 years.

GreenStuf is manufactured in NZ by Autex Industries Ltd, a privately owned manufacturing company. Robert Croot, Autex National Sales Manager, says that his company is very pleased and proud to be part of such a beneficial programme.

“We’ve been involved in delivering a similar programme with the support of Counties Manukau DHB and we know that the benefits are real. It’s fantastic to have such strong support from our programme partners to enable us to expand these projects to now include the West Coast.”

Richard Wills, the The Insulation Company’s New Business Director, says that the company’s community insulation schemes are an opportunity to put something back into NZ and help families that need it the most.

“We are keen to support Autex and the West Coast DHB in helping the most vulnerable in the community; people who are simply are unable to afford to do this themselves. This programme will make a real difference to the lives of many families as well as providing wider community benefit.”

The project is expected to get under way next month.
ends

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