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| May 2004 |
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Loans to warm homes, clean city’s air To strongly boost the numbers of city homes being converted to cleaner heating, the City Council is proposing a new scheme which would offer homeowners and landlords an interest-free loan to change to cleaner heating and insulate their properties. The loan — averaging about $3650 a home — would be paid back when the property is sold. The aim is to make the city’s winter air less unhealthy and make older homes healthier and cheaper to heat through better insulation. If the project went ahead, it would work alongside Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) Clean Heat scheme and would need monetary support from central government. The City Council approved the idea in principle at its meeting last month. It will be sent to the government as a formal proposal and staff have been asked to talk to their ECan colleagues to ensure it fits with environmental rules and ECan’s existing clean heat schemes. At the same time, City Council staff will look further into the proposal so that, if it gainssupport, it can be put out for public feedback. Leonid Itskovich, the City Council’s Energy Manager, says the scheme must aim to convert and properly insulate around 6000 homes a year for five years. In short, the Government would fund the interest payments on loans which would be provided by lending institutions. The loan would be secured against the property and be repaid when it is sold. It would pay to install new lowemission heating (electric, LPG, diesel, pellet fire or wood burner), the building consent if one is needed and to insulate the ceiling and under the floor of the house. The City Council and ECan would pay for project management, promoting it and the legal costs of processing the loans, Dr Itskovich is suggesting. “If the city is to meet the air-quality guidelines being considered now by the Ministry for the Environment, we must greatly speed up the rate at which older homes are changing to cleaner heating,” Dr Itskovich says. “At the same timewe must make sure that these homes are better insulated. There is no point spending your money to heat the street because your house leaks so much heat. The two things — cleaner heating and better insulation — must go together to make a healthier city over all and healthier, warmer homes. “We believe a total-cost loans scheme will be attractive, especially to the city’s private landlords. Rental housing is about a third of the city’s housing stock and it’s the segment that we’ve not had a lot of success with until now.”
Energy Efficient Show Home open The Christchurch City Council’s Energy Efficiency Show Home at 10 Leander Street in Papanui is a good place to start for ideas on how to make your home a warmer place. As well as showcasing insulating materials, methods and ideas, an energy adviser is on hand to answer questions about the most efficient and clean heating technologies. Bring your old or new house plans for a detailed consultation. Information on ECan’s clean air programmes and warm home energy checks is also available at the home. Operating hours are 11am to 6pm every day except Wednesdays, including public holidays.
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