Properly fitted polythene under a home with damp soils can make a huge reduction in rising damp.
Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.
No, it's not the Tasman Sea, but something even closer to home.
Many Whanganui residents wake up each morning between May and September surrounded by water as condensation covers every window of their homes. More than just a nuisance, weeping windows can indicate conditions within a dwelling that are, to put it bluntly, unhealthy.
In some homes, high humidity can be as much as a concern as low temperatures in terms of comfort and health. We all know that cool, damp homes are common across New Zealand.
Research by Beacon Pathway found the following:
New Zealand homes are on average 6C below World Health Organisation recommended minimum temperatures in winter.
45 per cent of all New Zealand homes are mouldy.
New Zealand has the second highest rate of asthma in the world, and an excess winter mortality of 1600, a much higher rate than other OECD countries.
300,000 New Zealand homes have an unflued gas heater.
The air inside New Zealand homes can be more polluted than outdoor air.
Cold, damp homes pose serious health risks, particularly for the most vulnerable groups in the community who spend the most time at home.