As well as the extra monetary cost that comes with heating homes in winter, there's a significant health cost in Hawke's Bay, says Hawke's Bay DHB acting chief medical officer and paediatrician Russell Wills.
"Household overcrowding and cold damp houses are a big problem in Hawke's Bay where the quality of the rental stock is particularly poor.
"Our community teams are frequently visiting whanau in houses that are colder inside than outside during winter and they frequently see dampness and mould on the walls and curtains."
In addition, in order to save money on heating it was common that whanau was only able to afford to heat one room so everyone slept together in the lounge, which led to viruses spreading very quickly between family members.
"A common situation is for an older sibling to bring home a cold from school, and then Nanny with her chronic illness gets sick and the baby gets sick.