Labour's Building, Construction, Energy and Resources Spokesperson Megan Woods. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Labour is promising to trial a rebate scheme aimed at decarbonising homes, if re-elected.
Homeowners doing a "deep retrofit" - upgrading a whole house all at once by installing double glazing, insulation, airtightness upgrades and replacing gas heating and hot water - could get a rebate of 30 percent of the total cost, capped at $18,000.
Partial retrofits of double glazing or insulation upgrades could get up to $7000, while those switching from gas connections to electric heat pumps and cooking hobs could get up to $3000.
The total scheme was expected to cost $81.6 million over four years, with about 1000 deep retrofits, 7500 partial retrofits, and 2400 electrification rebates over that time.
The scheme would limited to homes of up to double the median value, and those on a combined household income below $250,000. Landlords would only be eligible for the electrification rebate.
Labour's Building, Construction, Energy and Resources Spokesperson Megan Woods announced the policy on Friday afternoon, saying it would reduce emissions, bring down household energy bills, and grow jobs.
"Energy efficiency is often called the 'first fuel' in clean energy transitions, providing some of the quickest and most cost-effective emissions reductions while lowering household energy bills and strengthening energy security. These rebates make energy efficiency a possibility for everyday Kiwi homeowners," she said.