Frequently Asked Questions
Contents
EECA - Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority
- EECA promotes energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of energy from renewable sources.
- Their site is full of practical information and tips to make your home warm and dry and save money on your energy bills.
- A Warmer Kiwi Homes tool that will help you to find out if you are eligible for a grant for the installation of insulation. If you are eligible, the tool provides the contact details about service providers in your region.
Find out if you are eligible for a grant with A Warmer Kiwi Homes
For more information visit the EECA website
Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Hot Swap home insulation loans are only available if the property has compliant heating.
Compliant heating includes no heating; heating appliances that don't burn wood or coal; or a legally established, compliant wood burner or legally established, compliant pellet burner installed after Sept 2005.
If there is a non-compliant heating appliance in the property it must be removed before an insulation loan can be approved.
You can also use Hot Swap to warm up your house with new heating. To improve Rotorua's air quality old wood burners can be "swapped" for heat pumps, infrared heaters, gas fires, low and ultra-low emission wood burners. Hot Swap is a loan offered to Rotorua ratepayers whose properties fall in the Rotorua Urban Airshed Boundary.
For more information visit the Clean Air Rotorua website
What is Sustainability Options?
- It is an altruistic business that aims to provide free independent advice about how to make your home healthier, warmer and cheaper to run in a sustainable way
- It aims to bring down barriers which prevent future generations from living in healthy homes, one home at a time.
Who founded Sustainability Options?
- Sustainability Options was set up by two brothers, Nik and Phil Gregg, who challenge themselves to help make the world better by providing sustainability focussed housing advice to create healthier homes for families
How will Sustainability Options help Rotorua residents?
- Sustainability Options will visit your home and provide you with free independent advice that helps make your home healthier, warmer and cheaper to heat
- The service is available for tenants, homeowners and landlords
- It's suitable for all homes; old, renovated, new and soon to be built
Will Sustainability Options need to come into our home or just look around outside?
- In order to provide you with the best advice, Nik or Phil Gregg (Home Performance Advisors) would need to come and take a look around as many rooms as possible in your home so they can see what tips they can provide to improve your home's efficiency
- This means someone who can answer questions would need to be home to show either Nik or Phil around your home
What types of things will Sustainability Options want to look at in my home?
- The most common things Nik or Phil Gregg (Home Performance Advisors) will look at is how and where you use power such as heating or lighting
- The type of insulation in your home
- How well your windows and doors keep out the cold, rain and/ or breeze
- If you have curtains
- How you use water
- Nik or Phil Gregg want to hear your concerns so they can respond to your needs
Will Sustainability Options try to sell me something?
- Sustainability Options isn't trying to sell something to you
- It aims to provide free and independent advice to improve your home
Is the advice really free?
- Yes it is free
- Sustainability Options works in partnership with various organisations including Rotorua Lakes Council and Bay of Plenty Regional Council and sponsors to help provide this service as well as additional aid such as the blanket, curtain and heat bank drives in Bay of Plenty
- Sustainability Options is conscious of the social pressures and barriers some families face in creating a healthy warm home and made the leap to offer its knowledge to help families - one home at a time
How can I apply for a home assessment?
- You can visit the Sustainability Options website and fill out a free assessment form
How will I know if a Home Performance Advisor will come to my home?
- You'll need to register for a free assessment by filling in a Sustainability Options application form
- The Sustainability Options team will check your request and contact you about your application
If I want to know more about the free home assessments can I talk to someone by phone?
- You can call or text Sustainability Options on 022 497 2529 or you can email the team: service@so.org.nz
- Otherwise, if you're interested in a free assessment come into Rotorua Lakes Council and talk to one of the Customer service team members, who can take your name, address and phone number and pass it on to Sustainability Options
- Or call the Council's Customer Service team on 07 348 4199, and the team will help you get in touch with Sustainability Options
Will Sustainability Options provide me with a range of options to fix a problem I have in my home?
- Most of the time, Sustainability Options will be able to give you options to help you resolve a problem
- It also wants to arm you with the right questions in case you need to seek help from a tradesperson
If my home needs major work done, who will do it?
- Sustainability Options wouldn't carry out work on your home
- If Sustainability Options identifies major issues requiring work (this might be for instance roofing or electrical work), it would recommend that you get three quotes from trusted tradespeople in your local area before you decide on who you want to carry out the repairs
Would Sustainability Options help us if we're building a new home?
- Yes, its Home Performance Advisors can help you with new housing plans
- They want to know what your objectives are for the build so they can recommend building material, heating, energy use and layout that can help you achieve your goals
What if Sustainability Options can't recommend any solutions?
Sustainability Options works on a one-on-one basis and needs to understand how your home works in order to make recommendations:
- It will endeavour to provide you with advice but in some situations, not all housing problems can be solved
- It could potentially provide alternative suggestions that you can carry out in your home that could improve your home's health including:
- Opening and closing windows to ventilate the home
- Closing curtains at the right time of day, to keep your home warm