Warmer Homes, Healthier Futures Within Reach

A long-term effort to improve housingconditions across the Bay of Plenty is entering its next phase, with a renewedfocus on practical support and shifting public understanding of what a healthyhome looks like.

Led by Sustainability Options, the 20Degrees project is working towards a simple but powerful goal: ensuring everyhome in the region can maintain a healthy indoor temperature of 20°C on a coldwinter’s night. An estimated 27,000 homes across the Bay of Plenty currentlydon’t meet that standard, causing respiratory illness and leading to thousandsof preventable hospital admissions each year.

Sustainability Options co-founder Nik Greggsays 20°C is the ideal temperature to keep people physically and mentallystrong according to the World Health Organisation.

Many housing issues come down to bothphysical disrepair and gaps in knowledge. “People often don’t prioritise maintainingtheir homes. We live in a relatively temperate climate that doesn’t killanybody overnight, so we can always defer repairs or upgrades until next year.You often hear of the leak that was left unattended and became a really largerot issue.”

Practical support, real impact

Founded in 2012, Sustainability Optionsoperates as an altruistic business, providing free, independent advicealongside hands-on support to improve living conditions.

The 20 Degrees project began six years agoand has so far helped fix issues in more than 2,500 Bay of Plenty homes. It includesfree home assessments, workshops, education, and minor repairs and maintenance,helping whānau create warmer, drier, healthier homes.

BayTrust has supported the project from theoutset, and has just committed a further $675,000 spread over the next threeyears.

Nik says the grant will support thecontinuation of this work, but importantly, it also acts as a catalyst forwider investment. “BayTrust is our cornerstone and their funding ripples outand brings other interested parties and philanthropic funders on board. Overthe six years we’ve been running, we’re getting close to $14 million worth ofother funding coming in to the programme. It’s BayTrust’s support that often kicksoff those contributions each year.”

The 20 Degrees team now carries out morethan 1,000 home visits across the region each year. People are taught how toproperly ventilate and heat their homes, and given help to fix draughts, leaks,and install insulation and lined curtains.

Why warm homes matter

The project is grounded in clear healthevidence. Medical research shows that temperatures below 16°C can triggerrespiratory issues, while colder conditions increase strain on the lungs andheart.

“You’re more likely to suffer from RSV,bronchiolitis, bronchiectasis, and asthma attacks. Most homes I go into in themorning, it’s not unusual to encounter 12°C to 13°C. And some homes get down tooutdoor temperatures which can be between -2°C and 6°C.”

Workshops focus on practical,easy-to-understand changes that can make a real difference. “If you leave thewindows open all day long it creates a cooling effect on the house and it’smore likely to condensate overnight. We get this cycle of condensation and thenmould growing,” Nik explains. “You actually only need to open windows for ashort time.”

Opening curtains is another easy win. “Whenyou let the sunlight into your home it’s the equivalent of turning a heater onover the course of an hour.”

Failing to maintain putty around woodenwindow frames is also a common mistake which can result in rotten boards. “Andif you let paint peel, your home no longer has a raincoat. So water can seepinto your timber and then evaporate inside the home, creating higher moisturelevels and more mould.”

Changing the conversation

As the 20 Degrees project enters its nextphase, the focus is shifting beyond delivery to long-term behaviour change.

“The next three years is about changinghearts and minds. It’s about creating a culture where more people understandwhy 20 degrees is so important and people start to take the initiative andthink ‘what part can I play in that?’ as opposed to just letting their housinghappen to them.”

The goal is to make healthy hometemperatures part of everyday conversation. “If I go back to the early 2000s Icould ask most people ‘what do you know about insulation?’ And people wouldhave been largely clueless. Now, it’s no longer sitting silently behind thewalls or in the ceiling or underneath the floor. Most people know whether theirhouse is insulated or not. That’s where we’re wanting to get to.”

With thousands of homes still needingsupport, the work ahead is significant. But with continued collaboration andgrowing awareness, the 20 Degrees project is building momentum towards a futurewhere warm, healthy homes are the norm.

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