15,000 homes warmer thanks to major grant

Grants totalling more than $14 million from the ASB Community Trust have helped insulate more than 15,000 Auckland and Northland homes since 2007.

The Trust's substantial investment in improving the region's housing was recognised last night with a special award at the 2014 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority awards.

“EECA’s partnership with ASB Community Trust has served as a model for other third party funding. The Trust is by far the biggest co-funder of Warm Up New Zealand and has truly contributed to its success,” says Minister of Energy and Resources Simon Bridges who made the special acknowledgement.

“I am very proud of the fact that through this programme we have been able to improve the situation for over a quarter of a million families.”

Trust CEO Jennifer Gill says a reduction of illnesses caused by cold and damp living conditions was a real need in the region.

"The Trust saw the opportunity to complement the funding available through the Government’s insulation and heating programme and help more people in our region get the benefits of home insulation," she says.

"We worked in partnership with a range of organisations including Snug Homes, Warm n’ Well, and Healthy Homes Tai Tokerau. As a result, many families who might not otherwise have been able to afford to insulate now have much warmer homes.“

Ms Gill said the Trust's support of home insulation was through its Key Community Partners funding programme. 

"We distribute around $35 million to $40 million a year into Auckland and Northland. Around $20 million of that goes in grants under $100,000 to a whole range of the not-for-profit organisations involved areas such as sports and recreation, arts and culture, and the environment. The other $15 million supports major multi-year grants that are made to address major regional issues." 

"Our support for home insulation is a good example of an investment by the Trust that will make a real difference for our region for years to come. An estimate from EECA was that the insulation work we helped to fund was likely to provide around $80 million in benefits – most of which are in health - over the expected lifetime of the insulation. That's a very good return on our $14 million dollar grant."

Special EECA award receipients: Minister for Energy and Resources Simon Bridges,
CEO ASB Community Trust Jennifer Gill and ASB Community Trust Chair Ken Whitney.