A heater swap is just one way The Warehouse is helping make Kiwi homes healthier this winter.

A significant number of homes across Aotearoa have mould, dampness, poor ventilation and a lack of efficient heating. This can cause major health problems for the people that live in them, especially for children, people with respiratory illnesses and the elderly.

With colder months approaching the race is on to get Kiwi homes as warm and healthy as possible. That's why The Warehouse has launched a first of its kind initiative which enables Kiwis across the country to swap unhealthy, indoor LPG gas heaters (unflued gas heaters) at selected The Warehouse stores – all for free.

The nationwide 'Healthy Heater Swap' is part of The Warehouse's annual Warmhouse campaign which aims to educate Kiwis about how to create warm, dry and healthy homes affordably.

The Warehouse's Healthy Heater Swap will run from 13 June to 3 July. Kiwis wanting to swap their heater will need to book a time slot via thewarehouse.co.nz/heater-swap-initiative. There will be more time slots available over the next two weeks, opening early Monday 20 and 27 June until stocks last.

After becoming aware of the damaging respiratory impacts of indoor LPG gas heaters, found in many New Zealand homes, The Warehouse decided it wanted to help tackle the problem, says The Warehouse's Chief Sustainability Officer, David Benattar.

"Indoor LPG gas heaters emit significant amounts of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, pollutants that can trigger asthma and other respiratory conditions. The heaters also release moisture and can be expensive to run, making them unhealthy for Kiwis and the environment, and is the reason why experts are calling for the switch to electric heating," says Benattar.

The Healthy Heater Swap will see 1,800 11-fin electric heaters being made available for swapping. The Warehouse is also donating an additional 2,000 heaters to The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and Healthy Homes providers to support Kiwis who are most in need.

The indoor LPG gas heaters that are returned through the heater swap will be recycled through social enterprise All Heart NZ.

But heaters aren't the only way you can keep your house warm and healthy this winter. "We're committed to making sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone. There are simple things Kiwis can do around the home to keep themselves and their whanau warm this winter with a range of products that can help them do that in a cost effective way," says Benattar.

The Warehouse has developed an online content portal, called The Warmhouse, to educate Kiwis on affordable and more sustainable ways to make their homes healthier and more energy efficient. The hub features information and advice sourced from GenLess, an EECA (Energy, Efficiency & Conservation Authority) initiative.

Five hot tips to keep you and your home warm this winter:

1. Draw curtains at dusk to keep the day's heat in

The best curtains have a separate lining, such as the Living & Co Willow curtain range, and are fitted close to the window, wide enough to generously overlap the window frames at the sides and long enough to touch the floor. A pelmet at the top is even better.

Make sure your windows and doors fit their frames. Use draught stopping tape around windows and doors and draught excluders, like The Warehouse's double-sided draught stopper, or door snakes along the bottom of doors.

3. Rug up in warmer clothes and bedding

Keep the family warm in flannelette pyjamas, jumpers and socks, and use thicker blankets and warm bedding, such as the Living & Co Duvet Inner Microfibre Winter 800gsm White Queen (Oeko-tex 100 certified) and the H&H Kids' and Women's and Men's Flannelette Pyjamas sets which are Better Cotton Initiative linked.

4. Regularly remove condensation from your windows

Condensation significantly adds to dampness in your home. Use a squeegee, like the Living & Co Bamboo Squeegee, to remove the condensation from your windows each morning.

5. Switch to LED light bulbs

While LED light bulbs can cost a little more upfront, they are much cheaper in the long   term, as they use less electricity than traditional bulbs and last much longer, helping you to cut down on the frequency of purchasing replacement bulbs.

For more information about how to create a healthy and energy efficient home for you and your whanau this winter, go to thewarehouse.co.nz/thewarmhouse.