Insulation schemes have not solved the problem of old, cold accommodation in Dunedin, with a recent report uncovering ''hundreds, if not thousands'' of ''terminal'' houses in the city. But Mayor Dave Cull tells The Star more help could be at hand.
Mayor Dave Cull says the Dunedin City Council could consider expanding its insulation scheme to include double-glazing and other home improvements.
His comments come on the back of a study by Presbyterian Support Otago researcher the Rev Dennis Povey that shows housing is almost as big an issue now as it was 10 years ago.
Titled ''Old, Cold and Costly'', the study re-examines 100 houses in the city which were assessed 10 years ago.
It found that while there were some improvements in insulation, thanks to generous government subsidies in recent years, the overall condition of the city's housing stock had not improved much. Mr Povey said there were ''hundreds if not thousands'' of ''terminal'' houses that should be demolished.
The council last year initiated a trial allowing people to borrow for insulation through the council and pay it back on their rates bill each year.
Mr Cull said when the scheme was introduced, there was a lot of discussion about allowing other improvements like double-glazing and heating appliances to be added but it was considered ''too ambitious''.
''In the long run, I would favour reconsidering what else we can put in. If it is about lifting the standard of our homes and enabling people to do that in an area where they really need it then let's look at all the options.''
The mayor said funding double-glazing was a ''step up in cost'' because it usually cost $15,000 or more and in the case of some older houses, the investment might not be worth it.
Putting the cost of improvements on to rates was no cheaper than borrowing from the bank, but it would give people another ''option'' if alternative finance was not available, Mr Cull said.
