Making your house warmer after the earthquakes
The earthquakes have caused substantial damage to many homes in Christchurch and Kaiapoi. On this page you will find information about:
Insulation and your EQC claim
If the earthquake has caused damage to your roof and water has entered your ceiling cavity before emergency repairs were done, your ceiling insulation may have become wet. Ceiling insulation which has become wet loses its effectiveness, even after it has dried out.
Make sure you list wet ceiling insulation as damage to your property on your EQC claim if you think that rain has entered your roof cavity. Talk to EQC about removing wet insulation under emergency repairs, as wet insulation batts can get mouldy.
Insist a specialist insulation company will replace your insulation to ensure it is done well, the right thickness is installed and you get the maximum benefit from your insulation (again).
If your house has flooded as a result of the earthquake or has been affected by liquefaction, your underfloor insulation may have become wet and/or any polythene sheeting may have shifted. Underfloor insulation which has become wet may lose its effectiveness (depending on product), even after it has dried out. Make sure you list possible wet underfloor insulation and shifted polythene as damage to your property on your EQC claim if your property was flooded or affected by liquefaction. Talk to EQC about removing wet insulation under emergency repairs, as wet insulation can get mouldy.
Insist a specialist insulation company will replace your insulation to ensure it is done well, the right thickness is installed and you get the maximum benefit from your insulation (again).
If any repairs are being done to your floor, foundations or piles ensure insulation gets replaced. Insist a specialist insulation company will replace your insulation to ensure it is done well, the right thickness is installed and you get the maximum benefit from your insulation (again).
You may not need a building consent for installing wall insulation in damaged external walls. Please contact the Christchurch City Council for more information. If you did not have wall insulation before the house was damaged, it may depend on your insurance company/EQR and/or its contractor whether wall insulation will or can be installed and whether you would have to pay for it.
More on wall insulation when doing repairs on earthquake damaged homes.
Improving your home during earthquake repairs
Repairing the damage on your home caused by the earthquakes provides a unique opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of your house. The Christchurch City Council has developed a guide for homeowners what they can do to make their homes warmer, drier and heathier to live in while doing earthquake repairs.
More on wall insulation when doing repairs on earthquake damaged homes.
Repair guide quick overview (483.84 KB)
Repair guide detailed info (854.48 KB)
Under the Air Plan's home heating rules, Environment Canterbury does not allow woodburners to be installed in new homes and this includes homes with (complying or non-complying) woodburners that need to be rebuilt because of earthquake damage. This information was current as at 3 April 2012. Please contact Environment Canterbury for more information.
Staying warm in a quake damaged house or temporary rental property
If your chimney has been damaged, you may qualify for a free heat pump, low-emission woodburner or other clean heating appliance under the chimney replacement programme.
If you are getting a heat pump under this programme, it is very important to get your (ceiling) insulation checked. The majority (but not all!) homes these days have some insulation but many have a layer that is too thin for Christchurch winter conditions and/or have insulation that has deteriorated over time (especially when installed more than 15 years ago). If the insulation in your home in insufficient for Christchurch winters, you may struggle to keep warm or you may spend more on your heating bills than necessary. Subsidies for insulation are available with higher subsidies for those on low incomes and rental properties with tenants on low incomes. More ...
If you are waiting for replacement heating and are using plug-in heaters and you find it hard or expensive to heat your home, you may consider DIY window insulation, an inexpensive, temporary form of window insulation.
If your heating/chimney was damaged in the earthquake and your house will or may be demolished, is still liveable at the moment but a decision/action on the rebuild may be some years away, ask your insurance company/Fletcher EQR for emergency repairs to be done on your heating/chimney so you can keep warm in the meantime. See also below.
Trying to heat a very draughty house with gaps in the walls and ceilings, can be a challenge. Sealing gaps as best you can will make it easier to keep your home warm. Call 0800 DAMAGE for emergency repairs, go to a DIY retailer or have a look at our online shop for draughtstopping products.
If you had tradespeople up in the roof for emergency repairs (e.g. to repair a leaking hot water cylinder or repair roof damage), it's a good idea to check whether the insulation is still in the right place. Often tradespeople need to remove insulation batts to repair damage and sometimes they don't get put back, leaving you with a partially uninsulated ceiling.
If you know your house will be repaired in time and as long as your roof is weathertight, it can be very useful to insulate the ceiling. If your roof is not fully weathertight, it is better to wait with installing insulation as insulation that has become wet, loses its effectiveness even afer drying out again. Subsidies for insulation are available.
In a very draughty house without any fixed heating, it is easiest to feel warm with a radiant heater (also called bar heater). Radiant heaters warm objects and people rather than air like most other plug-in heaters (called convection heaters). Heaters that heat air will struggle to heat you in a draughty house with lots of big cracks in the walls as the air disappears through the gaps. A woodburner also provides radiant heat while a heat pump is a convection heater.
A cold house may affect your health so take advantage of assistance that may be available for winter heating:
- Contact WINZ for extra assistance
- Apply for the Winter Assistance Grant from the Red Cross online or download the Red Cross Winter Assistance Grant application form here:Red Cross Winter Assistance Grant (212.32 KB)
- Contact us for assistance for an efficient heating appliance (not available if your heating was damaged by the earthquake or your house will be demolished)
If you have an old, non-complying burner and are waiting for earthquake repairs to be done or for your house to be rebuilt before replacing your old burner, Environment Canterbury is taking a pragmatic approach during winter 2012 and encourages people to keep warm whatever way they can, including with the use of non-complying woodburners.
More about Environment Canterbury's position on the use of non-complying burners for winter 2012
More about Environment Canterbury's home heating rules
Find out whether your woodburner is complying or not
If your chimney or heating was not damaged by the earthquake, you will not qualify for a free heat pump under the chimney replacement programme. However, there are subsidies available for heat pumps and low-emission woodburners, with higher subsidies for those on low incomes. Subsidies are only available when ceiling and underfloor insulation are up to the Building Code but separate subsidies are available for insulation. Heat pumps are more efficient than plug-in heaters and will put less pressure on our fragile post-earthquake electricity network in Christchurch East. The use of unflued gas heaters can be dangerous and is not recommended unless in an emergency.
If you have had to abandon your house as a result of the earthquake and have moved into rental accommodation, you may find the heating situation different from what you are used to. Many but not all rental properties have substandard insulation and heating. Don't put up with it! Subsidies for heating and insulation are available for rental properties with higher subsidies for rental properties with tenants on low incomes. Community Energy Action is happy to make enquiries on behalf of tenants.
Another way to make a rental property warmer and save on heating bills is by installing DIY window insulation, a non-permanent form of ‘double glazing'. Community Energy Action does not recommend the use of unflued gas heaters when no heating is provided in a rental property. Unflued gas heaters can be dangerous and are not recommended unless in an emergency.
It will be very hard to heat a home with gaps. If you have large gaps in your walls or between walls and window/door frames, you can arrange for the repairs yourself if they cost less than $2,000 to repair. Visit EQC's website 
to see what records you need to keep to make sure you are reimbursed appropriately. Alternatively you can call EQC (0800 DAMAGE/326 243) to arrange emergency repairs.
You may be able to deal with smaller, non-structural damage/gaps yourself. The easiest and simplest way to deal with cracks in walls, floorboards, skirting boards, around windows is to cover them using a tape such as Duct tape or Gaffer tape. Gaffer tape comes off without leaving a sticky residue and is also known as gun tape, riggers' tape, hurricane tape or racers tape. Both adhere to surface
s well, come in a range of widths and can be easily removed when it comes time for more permanent repairs to be made. All you need is a pair of scissors to cut the tape to length and they are available from all good home depot stores.
Silicone fillers and polyurethane foam have been promoted elsewhere as an option but we advise caution in using these products as they can make it difficult to undertake more permanent repairs at a later date and should only be used by a professional. Cellotape and masking tape are too thin/not wide enough and will be difficult to remove.
Draughts caused by misaligned windows can also be stopped by using V-seal, a product ideal for uneven gaps. To stop draughts from misaligned external or internal doors, you can also use door sausages.
If you have downlights or flues in an insulated ceiling, be aware that the earthquake could have dislodged insulation. If insulation is too close to downlights, it can pose a fire risk. Insulation should never cover downlights and there should be a 200mm (halogens) or a 50mm (incandescent) gap around downlights unless specified differently on the packaging. Ask an electrician if you are unsure what sort of downlights you have. Check your ceiling insulation or get someone to do it for you if you have downlights or flues. Community Energy Action assessors will check whether your existing ceiling insulation has been dislodged when they come for a quote for (a top-up of) insulation. More about the energy efficiency and fire safety of downlights and insulation.
More information
Community Energy Action's Advice Service is a free phone advice service, which can provide advice on all home energy issues. The EECA award winning Advice Service covers a wide range of home energy issues, such as what to do about high energy bills, dampness and condensation, and how to identify your cheapest electricity provider. You can either call or email our Advice Service. You can also arrange a comprehensive Home Energy Check (there may be a cost).
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Rentals lagging behind in insulation scheme
Many rental properties remain uninsulated despite subsidies. read more...
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Eq curtains recycled
Curtains from earthquake damaged resthome are recycled through Curtain Bank. read more...
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Keeping warm after the earthquake
We now have a dedicated page on keeping warm after the earthquake. read more...
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