20 Degrees is a vision to ensure Bay of Plenty homes can achieve and sustain a healthy temperature of 20°C on a cold winter's night.

This vision is an aspiration of Sustainability Options. Through our mahi providing sustainability advice across the Bay, we visit the homes of those struggling with cold, damp, and poor housing conditions. These conditions create unhealthy living environments, and this was the inspiration behind creating a dedicated space for our vision of helping the Bay reach and maintain 20°C.

We always start our journey by providing a free home visit where we have a kōrero/chat with the home occupiers, and the team identifies the issues preventing the home from reaching 20°C. We together seek to develop a plan to work with the whānau / families to address these. This plan can include advice, advocacy, education, on-referrals for specific support, product installation support, and/or minor repairs and maintenance.

The repairs and maintenance mahi we offer are to support whānau/families in addressing issues such as; insulation, broken windows, draughts, leaks, curtains, heating, bathroom extraction, and behaviours that support a warm and dry home such as moisture management, ventilation, draught control, controlling heat losses and cost-effective heating. These repairs and maintenance are typically at no or low cost to home occupants.

A prerequisite for those being supported through the 20 Degrees vision is that participants must be open to engaging with the education component of 20 Degrees – workshops and DIY skill sessions that build the knowledge needed to keep homes healthy after these interventions are completed.

Through this it is hoped that homes will not only be healthy, resulting in less hospital admissions and reduced costs to the health system, but a shift in housing culture can be achieved; one where 20°C is the only acceptable minimum temperature within households.