Warmer Kiwis Study

The Warmer Kiwis Study is collecting data over the winter of 2021 in homes of Kiwis who have a heat pump installed through the EECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) Warmer Kiwi Homes programme. This is Phase 2 of research EECA has asked Motu Research to do.

Warmer Kiwi Homes is an EECA programme aimed at making homes warmer, drier and healthier. EECA does this by offering grants to lower-income homeowners for home insulation and/or an efficient heater.

EECA has commissioned Motu Research to investigate the impact of heat pumps in homes with a heat pump installed under the EECA Warmer Kiwi Homes programme. Motu Research is working to determine if the health and wellbeing of the household improves because of using heat pumps. Our evaluation is also growing the public evidence base about what works best to make homes warmer, drier and healthier. 

Data collection will begin in early May 2021 and end about 1 September 2021. We will publish the results in early 2022.

For more information about the Warmer Kiwis Study, please read:

• our information sheet in English
• our information sheet in Tongan
• our information sheet in Samoan 
• the EECA website.

Contact us

You can contact us at warmerkiwis@motu.org.nz or phone 0800 668869 (0800 MOTUNZ).

Participate in this research

If you'd like to participate in this research, email us at warmerkiwis@motu.org.nz. We will be in touch and ask you to sign the Warmer Kiwis Study Participant Consent Form in English, Tongan or Samoan.

See the Warmer Kiwis Study Privacy Statement in English, Tongan or Samoan to understand how we collect, use, retain and disclose any personal information.

What your participation will involve:

• We will arrange a convenient time for a field worker to visit you at home. They will introduce themselves and show an ID card on arrival. The visit will take about one hour and will take place a few weeks before you get your heat pump.
• We will ask you to complete a questionnaire while the field worker sets up the monitoring equipment. While some of these questions are personal in nature, they are standard wellbeing questions from the Statistics New Zealand General Social Survey.
• The field worker will then do a brief inspection of the outside of your house.
• A second visit will be arranged for a couple of months after your heat pump has been put in. This visit will last about 30 minutes.
• We will ask you to complete a second questionnaire while a field worker removes all monitoring equipment.

Warmer Kiwis Study: Phase One

August 2020

Download the report

EECA commissioned Motu Research to do Phase One of the evaluation. Phase One reviewed current evidence supporting the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme and proposed an approach for the phase two evaluation.