500 Auckland families warmer this winter

Five hundred Auckland City families will enjoy health benefits and energy savings as a result of improved insulation jointly funded by government, industry and community groups.   The insulation retrofitting of these homes will be provided free to families that qualify.

 

The project is jointly funded with EECA by the ASB Trusts, Mercury Energy, Starship Foundation, Auckland City Council, ProCare Network and the Auckland District Health Board. The installation of the insulation is being managed by Eco Insulation with the support of Tamaki Ki Raro Trust.

The Snug Homes for Auckland Project is part of an ongoing nationwide initiative run by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).  Under this initiative 25,000 homes have benefited from improved insulation since 1995.

The initiative targets houses built before 1977 when insulation became mandatory. Low-income households are a high priority and the Snug Homes for Auckland Project will also focus on families with young children, particularly those with respiratory problems.

The main funder of the project is ASB Trusts.  Jennifer Gill, Chief Executive Officer says ‘ASB Trusts are backing the project because of the serious health risks faced by people living in cold, damp homes.  The Trusts see the project as a way to make our communities better places for everyone to live’.

Mark Carter, Mercury Energy’s General Manager Consumer Markets, says the project is another way the company can help improve the health of our youngsters.  ‘We’ve been supporting the Starship Foundation for over six years, funding the purchase of many vital pieces of equipment’, he says. ‘Through the Starship Foundation and this project we’ll be making the homes of 50 young patients who suffer from respiratory illness a warmer, healthier place to be.”

Similarly ProCare Network Auckland Chief Executive Officer, Linda Boughton says ‘ProCare Network Auckland provides health services to more than 310,000 patients and our general practitioners cite respiratory disease as a real issue for many of our population.  has one of the highest child asthma rates in the world, and research shows a strong link between respiratory illnesses and moisture in homes.

A dry home is considered to be a key factor in alleviating the disease’.

Mayor of Auckland Dick Hubbard says ‘ Auckland City is proud to support this project as part of the Mayor’s Task Force for Jobs initiative and in line with the new focus on sustainability. The project will provide multiple benefits and in addition it will employ a number of Auckland ’s young people in retrofitting the insulation.

The Government Spokesperson for Energy Efficiency Jeanette Fitzsimons says ‘It's not often you find a project that offers so many benefits at the same time: energy savings, less carbon emissions, warmer families, better health, and jobs for people who need them. All New Zealanders deserve a healthy home’.

‘This project is a great example of local business and community organisations working together with government to make a positive difference in peoples lives.  Snug Homes for Auckland will make the homes of around 500 families, warmer, drier, more energy  efficient and healthier and we are delighted to be a part of bringing these benefits to Auckland families’, said EECA Chief Executive Heather Staley .

‘Our partner organisations in this project are to be commended for taking responsibility for improving the community’s energy efficiency, and the health and comfort of the homes of the 500 recipient Auckland families’.

The official launch of the Auckland Snug Homes Project will take place on Monday 29 May 2006, at Starship Children’s Health at 4.30pm – 6pm.