WRHHG member NZ Green Building Council offers a plan that can improve health outcomes and reduce energy hardship for thousands of households, generate employment, save the government billions in health costs, and reduce our carbon emissions. Government would be hard pushed to find “something that so substantially returns for New Zealanders, so substantially reduces costs in our health sector and so substantially reduces carbon, and delivers jobs quickly” NZGBC Chief Executive Andrew Eagles says.
The NZGBC proposal has three main recommendations:
· Double the Warmer Kiwi Homes scheme to 100,000 houses and add in ventilation, drainage and draught stopping measures to the plan.
· Councils to introduce or expand voluntary targeted rates schemes, which allow home owners to pay off heating and insulation through their rates.
· Promote the HomeFit standard, to encourage homeowners to invest in making their houses healthier and more energy efficient.
Housing Minister Megan Woods noted that the government was in agreement with NZGBC about the positive impacts of insulation and energy efficiency. The NZGBC proposal if picked up would build on and expand existing government investment in warmer, drier and more energy efficient homes. Read the full article here.
Click here to learn more about:
