‘Drier, healthier homes’ seems to be the current buzz phrase in the marketplace. Not surprising really, with it being more important than ever to be keeping our families safe & healthy, and our homes warm & dry.
A dry home is vitally important for a number of reasons:-
- Heating a dry home is much more efficient. It’s faster, and more cost effective
- Mould & mildew thrive in a damp environment, and therefore air quality is compromised
- Cleaning a dry bathroom is significantly easier than one with crying walls and paint damage
There are some incredible people in New Zealand that are doing valuable work behind the scenes in this area, and we are proud to be working with a local Bay of Plenty organisation on one of their projects.
‘20 Degrees’ is a programme with a vision to ensure Bay of Plenty homes can achieve and sustain a healthy temperature of 20oC, as recommended by the World Health Organisation for individuals who are vulnerable, unwell and prone to respiratory illnesses.
The programme is delivered by ‘Sustainability Options’, who visit the homes of those struggling with cold, damp and poor housing conditions. The team identify the issues preventing homes from reaching 20°C and seek to develop a plan to support whānau/families in addressing repairs and maintenance issues.
Often bathroom moisture is identified as a cause for concern, and a key contributing factor to dampness in the home.
Showerdome® have donated a significant number of shower tops to the programme, to ensure that these moisture related issues in bathrooms can be easily resolved with the installation of a shower top.
The benefits are immediate, and once the product is installed there are no moving parts to break down, and no on-going costs for the occupants, making Showerdome® products the perfect solution to bathroom moisture.
When it comes to improving the health of our homes, it’s encouraging to see that small changes or improvements can have drastic positive impact.
We acknowledge that Showerdome® is only one piece of the puzzle, and there are many other amazing kiwi businesses getting behind this initiative too. Together, we can be collectively proud of the recent report and evaluation commissioned by the Ministry of Health.
The positive results for participants in the ‘20 Degrees’ programme to date, speak for themselves:-
- Tangible contribution to better health & social outcomes
- Significantly reduced hospitalisation of participants
- Increased school attendance – amazing considering COVID has reduced school attendance
- 4% Increase in Employment and 9% less on benefits
It’s incredibly humbling to be able to play a small part in helping some of New Zealand’s most vulnerable families achieve a living standard that we all deserve. We will continue to support this programme and the vitally important work that they do in our community.
Read more about it here: Healthy Housing Programme Receives $1.5M Through Collaborative Funding Partnership (sustainabilityoptions.org.nz)
