400 homes to be insulated for free

400 homes to be insulated for free

Warm Up Capital & Coast programme to benefit families with a high risk of respiratory and other health conditions

Up to 400 homes in Porirua, Kapiti and Wellington are in line for free retrofitted insulation courtesy of the Warm Up Capital & Coast programme and the Government’s insulation and heating programme Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart. Warm Up Capital & Coast is a joint venture of the Capital & Coast District Health Board (CCDHB), Autex Industries, The Insulation Company, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).

During the past eight years CCDHB has helped to subsidise the retrofitting of new insulation to more than 1000 homes occupied by low-income families with high health needs.

The wider Wellington community is statistically quite "well" compared to other cities. However, there are pockets of deprivation and in some cases these are worse than anywhere else in New Zealand. The Warm Up initiative targets this significant group of people who suffer bad health as a direct result of poor housing and low income.

GPs and public health nurses are directly referring low income families who have respiratory conditions, skin infections, allergies and other health conditions where having a warm home will have an immediate impact on their health and helps reduce acute admissions to hospital.

CCDHB Senior Manager Population Health Wayne Skipage welcomes this new initiative.

“By targeting these at risk households with sick children or older adults with respiratory conditions there is a real benefit to being able to fully fund the insulating of these houses.”

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 and their local contracted installers, on behalf of Autex Industries. Autex Industries are a privately owned manufacturing company that are an approved Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart Service Provider.

Following referral from CCDHB, the nominated home owner or tenant must hold a valid Community Services Card and the house must be privately owned and have been built before 1 January, 2000, to be eligible for the free insulation package, along with some other basic criteria which will be confirmed during a free in-home assessment.

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 NZ Association approval and carries a durability warranty of 50 years.

GreenStuf is manufactured in Auckland by Autex Industries Ltd. 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 similar programmes on the West Coast of the South Island and in Counties Manukau with their respective DHB’s 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 Capital & Coast.”

Richard Wills, 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 CCDHB in helping the most vulnerable in the community, people who 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.”

ENDS

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