The installation of the first 140 heat pumps, in community housing homes across the city, is now complete. Work on installation started on Friday 14 February and in the three weeks since that date 140 homes have received a new heat pump and ventilation.
The work is part of the Warm & Dry initiative, a partnership between Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (OCHT) and Christchurch City Council, to raise the standard of community housing in Christchurch and to improve conditions for tenants.
“The Trust is delighted that this work is well underway, and our team is doing a fantastic job. Our focus this year is to improve heating and ventilation in our homes so that we can offer our tenants a greater degree of comfort over the colder winter months. We are working in partnership with the Council on the roll-out of this initiative and we aim to complete the work with the minimum disruption to tenants,” said OCHT Chief Executive Cate Kearney.
Lance Cox, a tenant in Glue Place, which is one of the first complexes to receive heat pumps, says that his old heater was chewing up power which he couldn’t afford so he turned it off. He says that the new heat pump will change his life and will ensure he is warm this winter.
The Warm & Dry initiative is being funded by CCC through a $10 million loan and $6 million from the Housing Development Fund.
“Daily installations are ramping up to make sure we achieve our goal of 909 heat pumps by winter 2020,” said Ms Kearney.
“The Trust has decided that it is less disruptive for our tenants and more efficient if we take a complex by complex approach in installing heat pumps, rather than only visiting those 909 homes identified as most in need. This means that we now need to install 1400 heat pumps by June 2020. We have a plan in place to manage any delays that could occur due to bad weather or illness among contractors and if that occurs, we will revert to installing heat pumps in the 909 homes most in need of heat, making sure our tenants in these homes are warm this winter”.
The Trust’s goal is to have all properties compliant with the Healthy Home Standards by the end of December 2022, six months before the new legislation is introduced.
Media Release
10 March 2020