Insulation subsidy bonus for unit residents

Elderly residents  in 24 Mangawhai housing units will be warmer, drier and more  comfortable  thanks  to insulation funded by Kaipara District Council and the government’s Warm Up NZ: Heat Smart programme.

The insulation  is the highlight  of a significant  upgrade  of the units  which has also included painting the exterior.  A survey of residents  last year in the council-owned Fagan Place units put insulation  at the top of their wish list. As a result  Kaipara  District  Council has been successful in gaining  a 60 per cent subsidy for the work through the scheme administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation  Authority (EECA). This  has  allowed all 24 units to be insulated  for cooler summers and warmer winters. It will also reduce residents’ electricity costs during winter.

“The  elderly  residents   get  warmer,  healthier  units  and  council  benefits from improving  our assets and the satisfaction of providing comfortable healthy   accommodation,”    says   KDC Community    Development   Facilitator Heidi Dreyer. Residents have been quick to acknowledge their insulated  and repainted homes.

“Mangawhai is a great place to live and to have these beautiful units is a privilege,” says Kevin Twin. “The young guys painting  the units  are wonderful and a pleasure to have in our village. A great thank  you to the Kaipara District Council and ECCA for the insulation  in the roofs and for keeping up the maintenance.”