Clutha ratepayers will be able to cosy up to a new scheme to help with their heating costs.
The Clutha District Council has started offering a Warm Homes Programme for residents to apply for loans to help with insulation and heating.
Ratepayers can apply for up to $5000 (including GST) to make their home ''warmer, drier and more sustainable'' and pay it off over five years through their rates.
A spokeswoman for the council said it had only just started offering the scheme from the start of July.
Information about the programme was published on the council website on the July 14.
The programme will run with assistance from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) which audits and approves service providers for insulation.
EECA will provide a guideline list of approved heating brands and appliances to use.
The service providers for insulation and heating that the council is working with are listed on its website.
Those eligible for the scheme are district ratepayers with a good payment history, who agree to pay all their rates by direct debit, on an agreed basis.
They also have to meet all the requirements, including forms and quotes, of the Clutha Warm Homes Programme and the house has to have been built before the year 2000.
The spokeswoman said ''there have been a few phone calls from interested people and one application received so far.''
There was no set deadline for the scheme but the spokeswoman anticipated the council would run it from ''year to year'', depending on how much interest it received.
A similar ''Clean Heat Clean Air'' programme was run by the Otago Regional Council between 2010 and 2014 to which the Clutha District Council contributed.
This is the first time the council has run a voluntary targeted rates programme for insulation and clean heating in houses.
This scheme was separate from the upcoming Cosy Homes Trust pilot project for Milton, which was not yet active.
