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CEA Charitable Trust in Christchurch has developed a free checklist for tenants looking for a new home that is warm, dry and healthy to live in. The checklist is available as a free booklet or an online tool.

“The Healthy Homes Standards go a long way to make sure rentals are warm and dry for tenants to live in,” says Caroline Shone, Chief Executive of CEA Charitable Trust. “However there is a lot more to keep in mind if you want a warm and easy to heat rental.

“We realise that the rental market is tight and that tenants may not have much choice. However, we think it is still useful to have a look at the checklist so you know what you are renting. It can be cheaper to have a rental that is slightly dearer in rent but much easier to heat,” she adds.

There are many aspects that are not covered by the Healthy Homes standards but that can still be important such as the presence of downlights. Many older style downlight (the little lights that sit flush with the ceiling) cannot have insulation over or even around them which means the ceiling insulation has many holes in it, making it less effective. Homes without an option to vent a dryer to the outside can become very damp. And whether a house has good curtains can make a difference to how much heat is lost through windows.

The online tool is available from CEA’s website at www.cea.co.nz/rental/cea-track-rental-options. The booklet version is available from CEA’s office at 16 Leslie Hills Dr, Riccarton in Christchurch during their office hours or through their online shop (just pay postage and handling) at www.cea.co.nz/shop. The tool has been developed with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment under the ‘Support for Energy Education in Communities’ Programme.

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