Hawke’s Bay Regional Council’s Sustainable Homes programme is helping whānau with ventilation to achieve healthier homes that are warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
Regional Council Procurement Manager, Mark Heaney (pictured), says getting ventilation can make a big difference to having a warm, healthy home.
“Having a warm home has such a positive impact on the lives and health of people who live in them,” says Mr Heaney.
“As the Regional Council in Hawke’s Bay, we want everyone to live in warm, healthy homes which is why we have our Sustainable Homes programme.”
Local resident, Brooke Menhennet’s home was hard to keep warm in winter and had a problem with condensation.
“On cold nights we would run our heaters and the next morning our windows were full of condensation. We would use our window vacuum most mornings in winter and have our windows open every day,” she says.
Ms Menhennet heard about the Sustainable Homes programme, and got a supplier in to explain how the ventilation system it could work in their home.
“We’re stoked with our system. We immediately noticed the difference, on the first morning we were expecting to get up to the usual vacuuming the windows but no, nothing was there! We also find we only use our heat pump now as our home is easier to heat.
“We would totally recommend everyone who has a problem with condensation and damp homes to get ventilation installed as it makes a difference you can see and feel,” said Brooke.
Eligible ratepayers can access up to $20,000 for ventilation at 4% which is repaid over 10 years by way of a voluntary targeted rate (VTR).
Council says the voluntary targeted rate is not a loan, and to access the funding, homeowners/ratepayers need a good history of paying regional council rates. Any existing VTR balance can be combined with a new one into a single VTR (one per property) sustainable homes combination, up to $20,000.
Regional Council approval may be withheld if there is evidence that adding the repayments will cause hardship, in line with the guidance of the Consumer, Credit and Finance Act Amendment for responsible lending.
To find out more head to council’s Sustainable Homes page.
