Warm Up scheme a hit in homes

Mayor Jono Naylor helps with insulating a Palmerston North home. Photo/Dale Wicken

Around 250 Palmerston North homes have been insulated in eight months under the Warm Up Palmy scheme.

The scheme, which offered financial assistance to ratepayers who were unable to fund insulation upfront, was offered for the first time in Palmerston North last year, with a maximum of $2600 in funding offered upfront. The 250 houses were insulated between April and December 2013.

Mayor Jono Naylor says the scheme has been a great success.

"It's nice to know that the Council has been able to help 250 families make their homes much warmer this winter."

The scheme was made up of a subsidy from Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and a sum of up to $2600 by way of advance from the Palmerston North City Council.

The sum provided by the council, plus interest, is then repaid over nine years by way of a voluntary targeted rate on their rates bill. The first repayments are expected to be made this year.

The Warm Up Palmy scheme was an offset of the nationwide Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart project, which was initiated in 2009.

Nationwide, 235,000 homes have been insulated which is above the original target.