13/04/2006 - The Government
is committing an extra $1000,000 to two projects
to improve clean and efficient home heating and
reduce air pollution, Environment Minister David
Benson-Pope announced today.
Environment Canterbury’s Clean
Heat Project has installed ceiling and underfloor
insulation, clean heating appliances and other
energy efficiency measures in over 5,000 Christchurch
homes since 2002. The Government will contribute
$500,000 to cover the costs of a further 150 retrofits.
Nelson City Council’s Clean
Heat/Warm Homes scheme has installed insulation,
clean heating devices and other energy efficiency
measures in nearly 300 properties since 2004.
The Government will contribute $250,000 to cover
the costs of 70 more retrofits.
“Heating your house with an
open fire or an old wood burner is bad for your
health and the environment. We support initiatives
that help New Zealanders make better choices when
it comes to home heating,” said Mr Benson-Pope.
He was in Timaru today visiting two homes that
had been retrofitted for energy efficiency.
“We support these projects because
they ‘get on with it’ and deal with air pollution
resulting from home heating. Both projects have
a very practical approach and really make things
better for New Zealanders,” said Mr Benson-Pope.
Home heating, especially from
open fires and old wood burners, is the major
source of air pollution in New Zealand. The Ministry
for the Environment introduced National Environmental
Standards last year that require local and regional
councils to reduce the air pollution in their
region.
The government has provided
more than $1.1 million to fund a range of initiatives
that assist local government meet new air quality
targets:
$800,000 for new air quality
monitoring for 15 councils in the country
$100,000 to survey home heating
in New Zealand
$70,000 for understanding the
social drivers behind home heating choice
$50,000 for evaluating different
heating types
$100,000 for two Warm Homes
trials in Tokoroa and Timaru; and
$160,000 for a new study examining
the performance review of the wood burner standard.
"I know that cleaning up
the air is a challenge but it is one that we are
all up to. Kiwis are known for their ingenuity
and this issue is one that will require ingenuity
to fix," said Mr Benson-Pope.
