Community Insulation Projects

Any organisation that can enter into a legally binding contract can apply. EECA will fund part of your insulation project. Your project must be supported with co-funding from organisations other than EECA.

Projects must target low-income households, particularly households where there are health problems, such as asthma or respiratory illness. Homes in other income brackets can be included in a tender project, but they cannot be more than 30 per cent of the total.

Projects must involve a minimum of 30 homes. Work must meet standards in EECA’s Residential Best Practice Guide, and training must be provided for all the installers involved.

EECA funds projects that focus on core energy efficiency measures. Core measures include:

• insulation in the ceiling and/or under the floors
• draught-proofing to the doors
• hot water cylinders
• pipe lagging
  

 

Other measures that may also be funded are:

• low flow shower heads
• energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs
• underfloor moisture barriers.

 

Funding types

EECA EnergyWise home grants include two funding options:

 

EnergyWise home grants tender

These funds are for smaller-scale projects. Tenders are called for early in the calendar year. The tender process is competitive with each application assessed on costs and structure (cost effectiveness to EECA, total cost per house and the applicant’s capability.) Grants are awarded to applicants that score the highest.

Requirements for these grants include:

• Co-funding from a third-party i.e. not EECA
• a maximum EECA contribution of $250,000 (incl GST) per year
• a minimum project size of 30 homes a year
• a project term of one to three years
• a target market being pre-1978 houses with little or no insulation
• at least 70 per cent of properties must be low-income households.

 

EnergyWise home grants strategic partnership

These funds are for large-scale projects with a minimum value of $500,000 over two years. EECA accepts proposals at any time of year. Proposals are not tied to a set completion date.

Requirements for these grants include:

• a minimum funding ratio of 3:1 (75 per cent co-funders: 25 per cent EECA)
• a maximum EECA contribution of $350,000 (incl GST) per year
• a minimum size of $500,000 (incl GST) over two years (total project cost)
• a minimum project term of two to three years
• all properties must be low-income.

 

Co-funders

If you cannot meet EECA’s third-party funding requirements on your own, you will need to find a suitable third-party funding partner. The extent to which your funding partner can help finance the project will largely determine the funding option best for you.

Some third-party funding sources used by successful projects in the past include:

• District Health Boards
• Primary Health Organisations
• Energy retailers and network companies
• Energy and Community Trusts
• Government agencies
• Māori organisations
• Local, district and regional councils
• Customer contributions, for example where they pay part of the price (up to a maximum of $500 for low-income households).

 

You will need to contact potential funding partners, and convince them of the benefits of being involved in a community home insulation project. We can help you develop relationships, and can provide written materials to reinforce your case. We can also provide letters of endorsement on the benefits your project will provide to the community.

Choosing your area

EECA will consider projects in all areas of New Zealand.

 

Identifying potential homes

Social agencies and Work and Income can suggest low-income households that may wish to be involved. Doctors, hospitals and health agencies can also recommend people with health problems. Previous projects have used advertising and marketing campaigns to identify potential homes.

How to apply

EECA calls for tender applications in February each year. Depending on funding distributed, there may be a second tender round later in the year.

To improve your application’s chances, your project application should:

• mainly target low-income households
• target homes where you’ll get the highest energy savings
• include documentation of your co-funding arrangement
• show your organisation has the resources to complete the project successfully
• show how you will manage costs to achieve high energy savings at low cost.
  
  

An independent scoring panel will judge each tender application according to set scoring criteria. The recommendations from the scoring panel are then approved/declined by the EECA Board. Contracts will be offered to the successful applicants.

EECA considers Strategic Partnerships at any time of the year depending on funding availability and will works closely with you to set up a funding partnership for your project.

EECA support for applications and projects

We have a dedicated team of people who can co-ordinate presentations to potential partners. They can also work with you through the process of setting up and implementing your project.

We can also advance you up to 20 per cent of your contribution, to help you in the set-up phase once the contract is signed and finalised.

Contact

For more information on developing a strategic partnership with EECA contact: Account Manager Funding Partnerships on 04 470 2212.

For more information on the tender process contact EECA's Residential Advisor on 0800 358 676.