8/02/2006 - Thirty Timaru
families will receive a free heat pump or
wood pellet burner for their home over the
next month, as part of the government's
Warm Homes trial, Environment Minister David
Benson-Pope announced today. The Timaru
initiative is the second trial of the government’s
Warm Homes project and is being run by the
Ministry for the Environment and Environment
Canterbury, and is supported by the Timaru
District Council. The Ministry for the Environment
has contributed $50,000 for the new heaters.
More than 50 per cent of Timaru houses
are currently heated with open fires or
old wood burners. These release soot into
the air which causes air pollution and health
problems, particularly during winter. With
new heaters, residents will not only save
energy but will also enjoy a clean, warm
and healthy home.
Homes will be selected in the next few
weeks based on the type and age of their
heating appliance, with open fires and old
wood burners at the top of the list.
"Timaru has a serious air quality
problem," said Mr Benson-Pope. "The
town exceeded the fine particles National
Environmental Standard 40 times last year.
The main contributor to this problem – over
80 per cent – is home heating, open fires
and old wood burners.
"There are heating alternatives for
residents of Timaru, which are healthier,
more comfortable and may be even cheaper
than an open fire or wood burner,"
he said.
Environment Canterbury chairman Sir Kerry
Burke says Timaru has a serious air pollution
problem, with 34 to 53 high pollution days
a year over the past seven years.
"The National Environmental Standards
for air quality say that we can’t have more
than one high pollution day a year by 2013,"
said Sir Kerry. “We are about to consult
with Timaru ratepayers about a subsidy programme
to help residents convert to clean heat,
so we are very pleased to be have this government-sponsored
trial take place first."
The trial will build on the existing South
Canterbury ‘Healthy Homes’ programme which
has been insulating and adding energy efficiency
measures to older houses in Timaru. A similar
successful trial was run in Tokoroa in the
North Island last year.
Hon David Benson-Pope
