How healthy homes could save lives - and $1 billion a year

Winter is well and truly upon us now, and with it has come a steady stream of news articles offering advice on how to keep your house warm during the cold months while saving on energy bills. 

Cost cutting is an extra priority this year with the inflation crunch. In a two-week period, Trade Me saw three hundred and forty thousand searches for heaters. 

However, a recent report from the UK has suggested fixing draughty homes could add 40 billion pounds to their economy by 2030.  

The Government acknowledges the economic and social importance of this issue and is pushing hard to improve conditions in homes across the country. In addition to the healthy homes standard, Labour has also put even more money into the Warmer Kiwi Homes policy, which focuses on the installation of insulation and efficient heaters. Since its launch in 2018, this policy has seen more than 100,000 installations of insulation and efficient heaters. The Warmer Kiwi Homes policy, which offers Government grants to cover up to 80 per cent of costs involved in the installation of insulation or efficient heating, was extended in the 2023 Budget.

But how are we tracking on this issue? And what else can we do to keep our homes warmer? 

To discuss this, today’s guest on The Front Page is Philippa Howden-Chapman, an Otago University professor of public health specialising in housing, health and wellbeing. She is also a director for Kāinga Oranga’s Housing and Health Research Programme.

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Damien Venuto
Producer: Paddy Fox and Shaun D Wilson
Executive Producer: Ethan Sills

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