July 2014
The Cosy Homes governance group is proud to promote its new logo (see inset). Also, we can report that three insulation providers with funding support from Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) and philanthropic organisations (such as Otago Community Trust) are aiming to retrofit as many as 1,200 high priority vulnerable Otago homes within the next 12 months.
As part of Cosy Homes, BRCT is providing Home Performance Assessments (HPA) as a service in Blueskin and Dunedin. HPA assessors have Community Energy Network (CEN) Level 2 Certification. “Home Performance” is the science and practice of building and improving homes to make them as comfortable, safe, resource efficient and durable as possible.
Scott, on behalf of BRCT, attended one of the recent Hazards Mapping public meetings (on the 9th of July in Waitati), which is part of the Dunedin City Council's consultation process of the Second Generation District Plan (commonly referred to as the 2GP). The 2GP controls what people can do on their land and how it can be developed, and incorporates the existing DCC’s Spatial Plan objective of a "compact city with resilient townships”. Here in the office we will prepare a submission on the DCC’s Hazards Mapping and we'd like to hear your thoughts. It is due on the 1st September, so get in touch if you would like to contribute to the BRCT submission or if you would like help with your own submission.
Transport is back in focus with the release of the draft regional public transport plan by the Otago Regional Council and some exciting changes look to be ahead for Blueskin. In the plan there is a proposal to increase the service frequency on the northern services (including Waitati, Evansdale, Karitane, Waikouaiti and Palmerston). The proposal would increase the frequency to a 2-hourly service from 7am to 7pm on weekdays. We are currently preparing more information on this particular proposal, specifically around how to make a public submission – the more people who positively support and submit on this matter means that we are much more likely to get a good result! Subscribe to the BRCT Update for regular information on all this (contact us). Our thanks goes to Peter Higbee who has been driving the transport work.
Visitors to our office this month included Mikkel and Crystal Fishman of 'Energy Mentor', a social enterprise idea to provide simple home energy solutions with a social focus. They are looking for a small number of trial homes to provide energy appraisals and design of simple interventions that could make a difference to both the home's thermal efficiency and the occupier's wallet. If you are interested in this project then contact us for more information.
We have a new Cuppa Tea article titled: Succeeding as prototype Anthropocenes; written by Green Party MP Kennedy Graham.
We also want to say a massive THANK YOU to United Way New Zealand for their support to help get the Home Performance Assessments and the educational solar power at our office off the ground.
We still have our PledgeMe “Turn on the Sun” campaign running to get our solar panels that are currently sitting inside our office (not much good there!) installed onto the roof of our office. It finishes on the 1st September (unless we reach our target sooner), so check it out at: www.pledgeme.co.nz.
If you would like to find out more about what we do at BRCT then please call in to see us (we are in the old dental clinic at Waitati School), call us on 4822 048, email us or just check out this website.