Awarua Synergy Preparing For Another Big Year

Eleven Awarua Synergy staff have just graduated with a new BCITO insulation qualification that keeps them at the leading edge of a fast-changing industry.

The Invercargill-based company is anticipating another busy year as it ticks past 10,000 homes insulated in the region, and with an increased focus on Southland homes being liveable in both extremely cold and extremely hot conditions.

Awarua Synergy general manager Sumaria Beaton said during the past year they had been able to catch up on demand that built up during Covid-19, with more than 10,000 Southland homes now insulated by the Runanga-owned business since it began in 2005.

“We’ve caught up the Covid backload and we’ve got a really solid, dedicated team who have been doing an amazing job during the past year to assist Southland people to make their homes warmer and healthier places to live,” Beaton said.

She said the new staff qualifications were based around understanding the legal requirements for the use of insulation in new buildings and residential rental properties – as well as up to date knowledge around methods, tools, equipment and health and safety requirements.

Insulation needed be done by professionals as ill-fitted product can reduce effectiveness by up to half, she said.

New insulation standards have been required by rental properties since July 2021 and all new builds must now meet the insulation standards set out by the Building Code to create thermally fitted insulated buildings.

Beaton said the new qualification formally recognised the knowledge and skills of people in the industry who were striving towards achieving healthy homes for customers.

Awarua Synergy had a strong focus on climate change and future proofing homes so they would be resilient in both extremely cold and extremely hot conditions, she said.

“With Southland recently experiencing 30 degree plus days it’s important to remember that insulation works to keep houses cools in summer as well as warm in winter.”

Sun reflects into ceiling cavities and insulation stops heat from trasferring into your home, she said.

Beaton said she also anticipated that people needing to use their heat pumps for cooling would begin to become more common as temperature extremes became more common.

People were encouraged to get in touch with Awarua Synergy prior to winter to avoid the annual rush as temperatures plummet, she said.

The great year for the company was backed up by an overwhlemingly positive customer survey late last year, with a satisfaction rate of more than 90% across the more than 250 people surveyed.