Warmer Kiwi Homes - up to 96% insulation subsidies for low income households
Published 2 October 2018
We are proud to announce that we are a service provider for the new Warmer Kiwi Homes programme in the Wellington region.
This government-funded programme provides subsidies to make it easier for low-income households in New Zealand to afford insulation.
Dependent on the region, eligible households can receive grants of up to 96% (two-thirds Government grant, with the rest from community funders) of the total cost of the insulation, bringing the cost of insulating a property down from $1000-4000 to $50-$500.
In New Zealand, housing quality is a major problem and successive governments have identified this as an issue of key importance to address. As a measure to improve the health of Kiwis, reduce energy costs, and improve environmental sustainability, encouraging insulation for homes is one of the most effective actions available.
A home with high-quality insulation keeps the warmth inside much more effectively, which means it takes less energy to heat the property to a comfortable level in winter. This helps bring energy costs down, means as a country we are consuming less electricity and ultimately results in warmer, healthier homes.
The challenge for families on low incomes is the high up-front cost. A professional insulation install service, with ceiling and underfloor insulation, and often a ground vapour barrier, can cost anything from $1000-$4000. Even with schemes available such as the Greater Wellington targeted rate (paying off the cost of insulation on your rates over 9 years), or our own 0% interest repayment plan, there remain significant numbers of families who struggle through the winter each year due to no, or insufficient, insulation.
Warmer Kiwi Homes is a programme designed to minimise that cost for the families who need it most. By providing grants to low-income households, we can reduce the cost of insulation to a level affordable to families of all backgrounds. We’ve been providing insulation services around Wellington region for almost 15 years, so we have first-hand experience of how big a difference high-quality insulation can make when it comes to keeping a home warm, dry and healthy.
So who is eligible for the subsidies? If you are a homeowner occupier AND one of the following, you are likely to be able to save up to 96% on your home insulation:
Community Services Card or SuperGold combo card holder
Own and be living in a home in an area identified as lower income
Referred by the Well Homes programme in the Wellington region
If you’re still not sure, we recommend using the new Warmer Kiwi Homes tool to see if you’re eligible.
Warmer Kiwi Homes is a replacement of the previous programme, Warm Up New Zealand which ended in June this year. One of the most notable differences is that Warmer Kiwi Homes has no subsidies available for landlords, which were in the previous programme.
Another significant difference is how many providers have been chosen within the programme. Sustainability Trust are the only provider of insulation grants through Warmer Kiwi Homes in Wellington City, and Kapiti Coast. In Porirua, Upper and Lower Hutt, we are one of only two providers.
However, we only have a limited allocation. Due to the significant saving available to thousands of households around the region, we anticipate very high demand for the limited funding available. If you suspect you may be eligible for this funding (or know someone who is), we highly recommend getting in touch as soon as possible to make sure you can take advantage of the available funding, and insulate your home to keep your whānau warm, dry and healthy.
As we near our 15th birthday, we are proud to be one of the few providers on this programme, another chapter in our history of providing warm, dry homes to those who need it most.