More than 3800 southern houses have been retrofitted with insulation in the first year of a national energy efficiency scheme.
The Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart scheme reached the 50,000 homes mark by early June. It aims to retrofit more than 188,500 homes over four years.
The government-funded scheme started in July last year and is administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).
Originally, it sought to insulate 27,500 houses in its first year.
EECA communications adviser Tamara Lee yesterday said latest regional figures showed 2391 Otago homes, and 1430 Southland homes, were retrofitted by the end of May.
The figures show 1209 - more than half - of the Otago homes were owned by low-income earners, while another 156 were rented by low-income earners. In Southland, low income earners owned 852 of the homes and rented another 152.
Nationally, more than 27,000 of the retrofitted properties were owned or rented by low-income earners.
More than 1750 Otago homes and 1305 Southland homes, received an insulation grant while 339 Otago and 104 Southland homes got a heater grant.
More than 290 Otago homes and 21 Southland homes got a grant for both.
Anglican Family Care Dunedin child and family support service manager Kathy Richards said the figures for low-income uptake were heartening.
The low-income renting statistics were "a start, but landlords should still be encouraged to do what they can".
The scheme is open to anyone with a house built before 2000. It provides up to $1300 towards a third of the cost of ceiling and under-floor insulation and a $500 grant for clean heaters.
