Council offers insulation loans
BY PENNY WARDLE
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The Marlborough District Council will help ratepayers get special grants to improve the energy efficiency of their homes by offering ratepayer loans.
The council launched its insulation and clean heating financial assistance scheme yesterday.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (Eeca) residential manager Robert Linterman said some people were struggling to find the $2000 to $3000 they needed, despite a government subsidy for insulation and to install a heat pump.
The Marlborough council was one of the first in the country to offer a rates-attached loan scheme so ratepayers and their tenants could enjoy the benefits of a warm home while paying off the balance of the cost over nine years.
Council corporate finance manager Martin Fletcher said there would be a $115 service fee and 7 per cent interest on the loan.
If a property was sold, the vendor could repay the balance of any outstanding loan.
The council was also aware of the need to comply with national air quality standards by 2013, with a possible extension to 2018, he said.
The standard had been exceeded five times in Marlborough this year.
Asked by councillor Peter Jerram whether loans could also cover double-glazing, council treasurer Bill Watts said the council could offer it although it was not part of Eeca's Heat Smart package.
Councillor Cliff Bowers said a disadvantage of the scheme was the requirement to use only registered providers. Nine providers have signed on with Eeca as suppliers for the Heat Smart scheme in Marlborough. None are based in the region but some are working with businesses here or through franchises.
Rob Marshall, of Marlborough Heating and Plumbing, was originally registered. He pulled out because the contracts were too complex for small companies but the business was working alongside AbsoluteEnergy Ltd, of Nelson.
Mr Marshall said his company helped fill a gap in the market for people who could not afford to install underfloor and ceiling insulation in one go, as was required under the Eeca scheme.
For more information: marlborough.govt.nz or eeca.govt.nz
THE FIGURES
Nearly 3000 homes in Marlborough have been insulated under the Heat Smart programme.
Eeca aims to insulate 200,000 more homes throughout the country within three years. It has done 60,000. Houses built before 2000 are eligible.
The programme pays for 33 per cent of the total cost of insulation or 60 per cent for community service card holders and landlords with card-holder tenants. Clean heating grants of up to $1200 are available.
A New Zealand house burns four times the energy of a house in Norway.
- The Marlborough Express
