This report provides an input to an evaluation of the New Zealand Insulation Fund (NZIF) that is coordinated and delivered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). The report is part of a wider study on the costs and benefits. It examines the expected impacts of the programme...Read more
The Pilot Central Heating and Insulation Scheme was announced in May 2007 by the then Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal. The scheme was targeted at 150 privately owned homes occupied by people over age 65 with incomes of approximately €30,000 or less per year in the Ballyfermot, Whitehall...Read more
Whilst the technical challenges of solid wall insulation (SWI) are widely acknowledged, there has been little exploration to date of the human barriers to uptake. These are likely to be substantial, given the disruption involved and the impact of measures on building appearance. To help address...Read more
We analyse the impacts on monthly metered electricity and reticulated gas use of the houses retrofitted with insulation or clean heat source under the New Zealand Insulation Fund (NZIF) programme, titled "Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart" (WUNZ:HS). Our study covers the period from the scheme"s...Read more
Housing is an important environmental influence on population health, and there is growing evidence of health effects from indoor environment characteristics such as low indoor temperatures. However, there is relatively little research, and thus little firm guidance, on the cost-effectiveness of...Read more
Howden-Chapman, P., Crane, J., Matheson, A., Viggers, H., Cunningham, M., Blakely, T., O'Dea, D., Cunningham, C., Woodward, A., Saville-Smith, K., Baker, M. and Waipara, N.
This paper describes the purpose and methods of a single-blinded, clustered and randomised trial of the health impacts of insulating existing houses. The key research question was whether this intervention increased the indoor temperature and lowered the relative humidity, energy consumption and...Read more
There is a dramatic contrast between the focused nature of UK fuel poverty policy and the scattering of US national and state policies aimed at low-income energy consumers. The difference evokes a sensation of longing in American fuel poverty analyst Meg Power that she can only describe as "...Read more
The ‘cohesion’ countries of the European Union face intimidating challenges in meeting the greenhouse gas emissions targets set by the Luxembourg Agreement. It requires breaking the link between increasing gross domestic product per capita and rising energy consumption at an early stage in the...Read more
In the context of retail electric competition, various mechanisms have been proposed to address threats to low-income energy affordability. Most proposals include the use of ratepayer for (a) low income bill payment support (e.g., rate discounts) and/or (b) energy efficiency programs...Read more