Sustainability Options

Powerco has teamed up with Sustainability Options to help fund its 20 Degrees initiative, which supports Bay of Plenty whānau to keep their homes at a healthy temperature of 20°C.

The initiative addresses home repairs and maintenance, such as insulation, broken windows, draughts, leaks, curtains, heating, bathroom extraction, as well as behaviours that support a warm and dry home, such as moisture management, ventilation, draught control, controlling heat losses and cost-effective heating.

First, Sustainability Options visits whānau living in cold and damp homes and identifies what might be preventing their house from reaching 20°C. The Sustainability Options team, together with the whānau, develops a plan, works with other available programmes, and connects with any services or subsidies that may help improve their housing conditions and living situation. Sustainability Options then addresses any remaining issues through its 20 Degrees initiative, such as minor repairs and maintenance, and fixes these at no or low cost to the whānau.

20 Degrees also includes an education component, running workshops and DIY skill sessions for whānau to build knowledge needed to keep homes healthy long after the 20 Degrees interventions are completed.

Check out our energy saving tips

There are lots of simple things you can do to help make your home drier and more energy efficient too.

Click here to see our top tips for an energy efficient home.