Creating Healthy Homes

Heat your home to 20 degrees celsius

This is warm enough to keep your whānau healthy, without wasting money on too much heat.

Never use an unflued gas heater

Unflued gas heaters are expensive to run, make your home damp and emit poisonous gases that damage lungs and can even cause death.

Use a heat pump if you have one

Heat pumps are three to five times more efficient than plug-in heaters. Plug-in heaters are good for bedrooms or any room without a heat pump.

Heat where and when needed

Only heat rooms when you are in them and close doors to heated rooms.

A door snake or rolled up towel at the bottom of a door stops draughts and keeps even more heat in.

The sun gives you free heat

Open curtains in the morning to let the sun in. Close curtains at night to keep the heat in.

Windows lose a lot of heat

DIY double glaze your windows with bubble wrap or window insulation kits.

Bubble wrap will stick to your windows with just a bit of water, no tape needed. They keep heat in, and provide a frosted window effect.

If you prefer a clear view, you can buy window insulation kits from a hardware store.

Open your windows each day

Open your windows for 15 minutes each day, even in the winter. This is enough to let dampness out, without losing too much heat.

Use kitchen and bathroom extraction fans

To reduce moisture even further, cover your pots and pans when cooking.

After a shower, keep the door closed and leave the bathroom fan on for another 15 minutes.

Check for a ground moisture barrier

It will look like a large black tarp on the ground under your house and is a legal requirement for all rental properties.

Rising damp can be a large source of moisture, even when the ground seems dry.

Dry clothes outside whenever possible

One load of washing can still hold five litres of water! You want that moisture to stay outside your house.

Spend less time in the shower

It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Even with an efficient shower head, 10 minutes in the shower can use more power than using a plug-in heater for an entire hour.

Reducing your shower time by just a few minutes can result in big savings.

Switch to LED bulbs

LED bulbs can use three to ten times less power than other lightbulbs. That can be the difference between paying $20 a year and $200 a year!

Turn off appliances when not in use

Appliances left on standby can cost you up to $100 per year. Turn microwaves, TVs and printers off at the wall when not in use.

Running a second fridge can cost $200 per year. Only turn it on when needed, rather than running a mostly empty fridge all year round.

Choose cold washes

Cold washes still kill germs and get clothes clean but use way less energy than a hot wash.

Check your power bill

See if you could be paying less for your power bill by checking plan options at powerswitch.org.nz

Use a low flow shower head

Modern shower heads use less water without sacrificing pressure. Choose an efficient model to save money every time you shower.