The Cosy Homes Trust has funds available to insulate about 130 more homes in Otago but applicants have only nine days to apply for the subsidy.
The scheme - run in partnership between Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, the Otago Community Trust, the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council - allows community services cardholders to insulate their home free of charge if they are over 65 or if there are children under 17 living in the home.
Cosy Homes Trust project manager Jordana Whyte said despite the generous terms of the subsidy, demand had remained soft this year, resulting in the trust having the capacity to insulate about 130 homes, but only nine days remaining for applicants to claim them.
After June 30, the subsidy changes and funding would be available only to renters, she said.
The current scheme allowed homeowners to insulate their own home if they met the criteria.
"Insulation is the number one intervention for cold and damp housing,'' Miss Whyte said.
"If people heard this and said 'it wouldn't do me much good because I don't have a heat pump or a fire', well this is the first step.''
The scheme allowed roofing insulation and underfloor insulation where accessible.
Applicants only needed to have their home assessed before June 30 and there would be a further month available to complete the work.
"The crews are great. They are ready to hit the ground running, we just need the people to sign up.''
Miss Whyte believed there had been a slow uptake in the scheme this year as many people did not know it was available.
"Social workers aren't able to tell their clients about it because they don't know about it,'' she said.
The scheme began in 2013 and since then knowledge about the subsidy had decreased. Additionally, many people renting seemed to be afraid to broach the subject with their landlords, she said.
"This is completely free for the homeowner. There's no cost.''
From April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016, 555 homes were insulated under the scheme. However, the Dunedin City Council estimated the city had more than 18,000 homes which were not warm or dry enough to keep people healthy and comfortable at reasonable cost.
The council contributed $62,500 to the scheme this financial year, while the Otago Community Trust had made $500,000 available.
Anyone interested in applying for the scheme can contact Jordana Whyte on 021 999-395 or info@cosyhomes.org.nz.
