Question

Response

What's this all about?

• EcoSmartHome is a retrofit programme for installing energy efficient products into houses. It’ll help make houses warmer and healthier and could save the homeowner up to $11,000 over five years.

• EcoSmartHome involves products such as:

  • Insulation

  • Energy efficient light bulbs

  • Heat pumps

  • Log burners and pellet fires

  • Heat pump water heaters

• The process involves an in-home assessment where a qualified assessor will tell you where your power bill is going.

• On the spot, we’ll also provide you with some options and show you how much money you could save.

• Once you sign up to a package, we look after everything including installers and consents.

Why should I do this?

The benefits of EcoSmartHome are:

• A warmer, healthier home.

• High quality products.

• Increase the resale value of your home.

• Helping the environment.

Who is “Energy Mad” and what do you guys know about energy efficiency?

• Energy Mad is a New Zealand company, formed in 2004 to get five energy saving light bulbs into 50% of the homes in New Zealand

• Energy Mad’s mission is “lessening climate change through economical energy savings”

• Energy Mad has launched 32 successful Ecobulb® projects around the country and sold over 3.5 million Ecobulbs™

• Energy Mad has a team of 30 staff mostly from engineering backgrounds, 4 with PhDs and five with Masters degrees.

Is Energy Mad going to be around if things go wrong?

• We have a strong track record and proven success in managing marking and distribution projects.

• Energy Mad is well supported by energy trusts and plans to be around for a long time.

What’s in this for Network Tasman Trust? Why are they involved?

• EcoSmartHome is an ideal way for Network Tasman Trust to give back to its community.

Won’t Network Tasman Trust just charge more for power to make up the cost?

• Network Tasman Trust is required to distribute any profits appropriately, because it’s owned by the community.

• Network Tasman Trust charges are controlled by the Commerce Commission.

What if I'm not planning on staying here for five years.

• You’ll get the benefits of a warmer, healthier home straight away.

• An EcoSmartHome package is a great way to increase the value of your home.

• In many cases, such as light bulbs, EcoSmartHome products will pay for themselves in much less than five years.

• You’ll be helping the environment and community by using energy more efficiently.

I can’t be bothered. It sounds like too much hassle. What am I really going to get out of it?

• We’ve made it very easy to retrofit your home.

• We’ve organised the best products, installers and finance.

• We’ll even take care of building consents (if required).

• To get the benefits of EcoSmartHome, all you really need, is to commit about 1½ hours of your time for a home assessment.

To be perfectly honest, I don’t really care that much about the environment.

• We could halve your power bill.

• Improving energy efficiency means reducing the running cost of your house.

• In some cases we estimate saving people up to $11,000 over five years.

• Other benefits for your home include:

  • Warmer

  • Drier

  • Healthier

  • Increased retail value

I don’t want a mess in the house.

• No physical work will be carried out during the assessment.

• There may be no internal work required inside your home.

• All our installers are professional operators and will be required to look after your home while they’re there and completely clean up after they’ve finished their work.

• We have an assessment process to ensure best practice from our installers.

I don’t like having builders or people I don’t know come into the house.

• Can you arrange for someone else (family or friend) to be there at the same time?

What if we're planning on selling our house soon?

• EcoSmartHome is a great way to increase the value of your home.

• We’ll provide you with a report showing how you’ve upgraded your house to make it efficient to run.

• You’ll be able to use energy efficiency improvements as selling features.

What if I’m not the home owner?

• We require contact with the homeowner.

This is an historic building. I don’t want to alter it.

• Keeping your home warmer and drier will actually help preserve it.

• Our products are unobtrusive

• Our log burners or pellet fires can be selected to suit the character of your home.

What if I’ve already had a Warm Home/Clean Heat make over?

• That’s great if you’ve already started to improve your home.

• We’ll check your existing products.

• We'll check your whole house and give it a star rating.

• We’ll also check your power bill to make sure you're not paying too much for what you’re using.

• We’ll give you some advice on the next level of cost effective improvements for your home.

Aren’t you just a sales agents?

• Our job is to deliver this project on behalf of Network Tasman Trust

• We provide you with a summary of where your money is currently going.

• We give you advice on how to save money and what products are available to do this.

• We help you decide which products will suite your specific requirements and calculate how much you can expect to save.

Can I get a second opinion on your report?

• Yes. We understand that this could be a large, but worthwhile investment.

• We’ll follow up a few days after your assessment.

Can you back up all the statements on this report?

• Resources we’ve used to develop our tools include:

  • The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA)

  • The Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ)

  • Solar Industries Association

  • Our own research

  • Beacon Pathway

  • Building standards and guides

You’re polluting by driving around everywhere.

• It’s true that we use vehicles drive around.

• The negative impacts of our vans are far outweighed by the positive effects of a successful project.

• An average car emits 4.3 t of CO₂ per year. An average house consuming 8,000 kWhrs of electricity is responsible for about 5 t of greenhouse gas emissions per year. The CO₂ emissions avoided over the 10 years following an EcoSmartHome retrofit in one house alone, could offset 5 years worth of car use.

• All the Ecobulbs™ sold to date in New Zealand will save enough CO_2­ emissions to allow all the residents of Christchurch to fly around the world. 

Global warming is just a myth.

• There’s been some prolonged debate over climate change forecasts, particularly in mainstream media.

• There’s now consensus from scientists and politicians that climate change will be, and probably already is a major issue for us.

• The great thing about striving for energy efficiency is that it will also make your home healthier, more comfortable and cheaper to run.   

Product Questions

Question

Response

Why are you only offering a limited selection?

• We’re offering the best brands at the best price.

• Where possible, we’ve included some flexibility for personal preferences.

Why should I purchase energy saving products through EcoSmartHome?

• We offer the benefits of bulk purchasing to provide the best possible prices.

• Because we’re a major customer for our suppliers and installers, we’ve been able to negotiate the best prices.

• Where possible, we source products directly from suppliers or even develop products ourselves.

You’ll just recommend what’s good for Energy Mad.

• We’ve tested and sourced only the best products.

• Our focus is cost effective energy efficiency.

• What’s good for Energy Mad is that we achieve our goal of making your home healthier, warmer and more energy efficient. What’s best for you is best for us.

All your products are made overseas and you’re adding to global warming through consumerism and transport.

• Any negative impacts from transport are outweighed by the benefits provided by the products.

• Many of our products are made locally (e.g. Terra Lana insulation, Ethos fires and Raven draught stop products)

• We’ve considered embodied energy as part of our product selection.

• We can access some products more cost effectively from overseas. (All heat pumps are made overseas.)

Why can’t I purchase these products directly from your website or from an Energy Mad store?

• The assessment service we provide is just as important as the actual products.

• To keep prices down, we don’t stock any major items.

• We independently assess your requirements and offer advice.

Who is the installer? Can I choose someone different?

• We’ve arranged specialist installers for all products.

Financial Questions

Question

Response

Wont it be expensive?

• EcoSmartHome is an investment. We could cut your power bill in half.

• You could effectively be paying nothing for increasing the comfort and healthiness of your home.

Won't I find cheaper products elsewhere?

• We’re offering high quality products below retail cost.

• We are also able to offer EECA ENERGYWISE™ funding to qualifying homes - potentially saving thousands of  dollars in interest costs

• If comparing prices, make sure you allow for:

  • Installation:

    • Over $840 for a standard heat pump install (over $1000 for a more complex install)

    • Over $840 for a standard fire install (excluding any extra material, e.g. flashings)

• Consents:

  •  Over $300 for an inbuilt fire

Can I pay upfront?

• You can pay up front if you prefer.

Wouldn't I be better saving my money to buy a new home in the future?

• Upgrading your home will make it easier to sell or rent.

• In the meantime you’ll get immediate health and comfort benefits.

Do I get any tax incentives?

• Unfortunately not, although some of our products are eligible for subsidies.

What if I spend all this money and I don’t actually save any power like you’re suggesting I should? Will I get my money back?

• We don’t offer any guarantee of power savings because every case is different and we’re also interested in your comfort and health.

• We provide an assessment that will indicate where your power bill is currently going.

• We use the assessment to assess where you can get the best return from your investment.

• We also offer advice about how you could save money around your home.

Why can’t you give me a quote over the phone?

• Every home is different.

• Our calculations rely on information like size, shape and orientation of your house.

• We want to make sure that we leave you with an accurate, final quote.

Why won’t you provide an individual price for items?

• We group our products into packages to ensure you get the best long term benefits. For example, it’s no use installing a great heater if you don’t have decent insulation.

• Our aim is to make the process easy for you. Our package price includes all extras such as installation and consents.

Can I get a discount with a Community Services Card?

• EcoSmartHome is available to everyone, with or without a Community Services card.

• If you qualify for EECA funding, higher grants are available if you have a CSC

• Please let us know if our low prices are still out of your reach. We may be able to refer you to someone who can help.

I want to get another quote.

• Please feel free. We will follow up later.