Hapū geothermal heating project cuts power bills for Rotorua homes

Using ground-source heat pumps, residents together will save around $20,000 per year on energy costs, encouraging households to use more heating in winter for improved wellbeing of whānau.

This is a fantastic example of innovation using the Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund, which was set up to trial sustainable energy options for whānau.

The new homes also received $4.8 million from the government’s Whai Kāinga Whai Oranga programme to support the Ngāti Uenukukōpako Iwi Trust to build the homes.

These houses mark the beginning of Ngāti Uenukukōpako’s response to a survey of its beneficiaries that identified housing need as the single most important issue facing hapū members.

Ngāti Uenukukōpako Iwi Trust is 1 of 42 small-scale projects around the country to benefit from the fund, which is one-half of the government’s $28 million Māori and Public Housing Renewable Energy Fund.

In addition, $46 million has been allocated to the Community Renewable Energy Fund, as part of the Government’s wider efforts to further support community energy projects.

Read more about the Māori Housing Renewable Energy Fund:

Māori Housing Renewable Energy Fund

Read the Ministers’ press release:

Geotherman heating project cuts power bills for Rotorua homes(external link) — Beehive.govt.nz