52 | A passion for energy education Sumaria Beaton has received recognition for her contributions to energy education and reducing energy hardship. Awarua Synergy T T Kim Bowden REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Sumaria Beaton remembers what it feels like to live in a cold, damp home, and now she is on a mission to educate Kiwis on tips and tricks for warmer, drier, healthier homes that are cheaper to run. Sumaria heads Awarua Synergy, a company born of a marae-based programme in Bluff focusing on improving the efficiencies of homes to make them more comfortable for those living in them, and kinder on the planet. Twenty-one years later, Sumaria and her team have conducted countless home assessments to recommend cost-effective solutions to households across Southland to bring down power bills and create cosier living environments. Their recommendations include options for innovative technical solutions alongside common-sense advice. For example, while double- or even triple-glazed windows may be the Rolls-Royce choice, some seemingly old-fashioned alternatives may have a similar impact in some homes. “Glazing can be quite costly, and in many cases there’s no need to replace windows if they are still in good condition,” Sumaria explains. “But an alternative is a pelmet above your windows. Do you remember those?” A pelmet is a narrow border, often made of wood, fitted across the top of the window to conceal the curtain fittings. Coupled with triple-lined curtains that drop right to the floor, they can be a game changer.. “Starting with the bedrooms can be a practical approach, as these are spaces where retaining heat is important. This helps prevent moisture from ‘condensating’ on the windows throughout the night. Moisture will always seek out the weakest point to settle.” Sumaria says effective moisture management is essential, and she recounts living in a home so damp that the carpeted floors bowed until a moisture barrier was installed, reducing the 40 to 60 litres of moisture that typically enters a home daily. “That’s the reality – our homes are simply saturated with moisture. We often underestimate the amount of moisture our homes absorb, and how much we generate ourselves.” She is frequently asked about ventilation systems. “Some are more effective than others; however, understanding the underlying dynamics of moisture and temperature allows you to make informed choices,” she says. Sumaria now provides workshops countrywide to clue up Kiwis on the correlation between moisture and warmth. “New Zealanders are not good at heating the whole home,” she says. “What you’ll find is the lounge is beautiful and warm in winter, but all the moisture that we’ve produced during the day then rushes to the coldest part of the house, which is usually the bedrooms. “That’s why we have so many health issues in this country to do with respiratory conditions, because moisture is all piled up into our bedrooms and we’re breathing it in overnight.” The team at Awarua Synergy are often ‘myth-busters’. “There’s ongoing debate about the best practices for using heat pumps – should you leave them running 24/7 even when you’re away? The answer is ‘no’ – don’t go past 21 degrees, and use higher fan settings to heat the home faster,” she says. “As a nation, we all share responsibility for the rising energy costs. The less efficiently we use energy, the greater the need for additional investment, which ultimately leads to higher expenses for everyone.” “I’m passionate about the education side of it.” She has 16 staff that crawl under houses and into roof cavities to provide a clear picture of where efficiency gains can be made for a household. Fixes can be implemented by those staff, an additional seven contractors, or the householders themselves. Sumaria has received recognition for her contributions to energy education and reducing energy hardship, and last year she was named a ‘Kiwibank Local Hero’ in the bank’s annual New Zealander of the Year awards. SOUTHLAND 03 215 9068 1 Kinloch Street, Invercargill sam@nulooksouthland.co.nz www.nulook.co.nz Talk to us about the windows and doors that are right for your home. Mark Jordan, Partner p: 03 218 6179 e: mark.jordan@mcp.co.nz w: www.mcp.co.nz Proud to support Awarua Synergy At McCulloch & Partners, we are a local business run by local people. 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