A Bay of Plenty woman who won free household insulation has given the prize away to a neighbour who lives in her old property.

Lorraine Olding from Mamaku won the prize at last month's Rotorua Home and Leisure Show, but has gifted her winnings, saying her former property – which is now dairy farm accommodation – was always 'damp and cold” when she lived there.

Lorraine Olding's prize, which she gave away, ended up insulating her old home. Photo: Supplied.

'When I lived in this home it was very cold, always had condensation and had mould growing,” says Lorraine.

'The family living in the home now works really hard on the farm, so it's nice that they can come back to a warm home after a hard day's work.

'They have really noticed a difference since the insulation was installed a couple of weeks ago. It's easier to warm and the home feels a lot drier.”

Bay of Plenty Regional Council gave away the free home insulation in association with WISE Better Homes, but the property Lorraine owns is already insulated.

WISE Better Homes Chief Executive Anaru Marshall is pleased the insulation has made a difference for the Mamaku.

'Over the last 18 months we have insulated more than 500 homes in Rotorua under the EECA programme for families,” says Anaru.

'Our aim is to reduce the incidence of respiratory illness and conditions such as asthma and rheumatic fever by insulating Rotorua homes.

'We are also trading old wood burners and fireplaces for brand new heat pumps. Good heating and good insulation makes a huge difference in people's quality of life.”

The Warm Up New Zealand: Healthy Homes programme provides free ceiling and underfloor insulation to low-income households with people who have health needs related to cold, damp housing.

Regional Council Senior Planner Marion Henton manned the Home and Leisure Show stand and says there is a lot of interest in the initiative.

'It's been a chilly winter, and a lot of people do not have insulation or efficient heating in their homes,” says Marion.

'Regional council provides and supports this programme to help property owners with warming their homes. Some property owners didn't know they were eligible for free insulation and, in some cases, heating.”