The 'Electric Election': energy policies, side by side
"Free money!" "Free power!" "Bloody good!" Landlord Harry Pearson and his tenant Lenny Wills are living in a win-win world and, as they told Rewiring's Matt Newman at the Electrify Nelson expo over the weekend, it’s all down to solar.
Pearson has installed solar panels on two of his rental properties and is about to do a third. Wills pays an extra $25 a week in rent in return for $50 saved every week on power bills. That's almost $3,000 saved per year and it has allowed him to increase his electricity usage, especially in the summer (he's even bought a spa pool and a sauna might be next; how's that for abundance!).
Pearson says the savings for tenants would be even higher if they have an EV and can reduce their fuel use.
For the landlord, the benefit it that they get to pay off the investment over time (without paying tax) and it also increases the value of his property.
While plug-in solar will be a convenient option for many renters (it's expected it will become legal this year), Pearson says it’s not going to achieve the same sorts of savings as a big system on the roof and won't be able to power high-draw appliances like hot water heat pumps or EVs.
He says it has cost him about $25,000 per property for panels and inverters (with no battery). Green loans are great - if you can get them - but access to finance is the biggest barrier, as it is for most homeowners. Energy Impact Loans through the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme will address that issue and he's hoping more landlords will follow his lead.
If you’re a landlord looking to invest in solar or a tenant hoping to reduce the cost of living, there are a couple of different ways to set up a solar for renters scheme. Check them out on the QEA site ⚡https://loom.ly/RodbSuQ
BloombergNEF says sales of combustion cars peaked in 2017 and there's no coming back, while a new study in New Zealand shows petrol vehicles were losing value more quickly than equivalent models did a decade ago; big batteries aren't just for storing electricity, they can also store heat; the story of the world's biggest electric ferry and the Australian company that made it; electric motorbikes are doing a lot of heavy lifting on emissions reduction, so why don't they get more attention?; and a new show called HallowGreen2 that tackles the energy transition "with music, humour and a hopeful message”.
Read moreDownloadRNZ's Kate Newton looks at why no-one is really talking about emissions as an election issue. As Mike Casey said: "The climate movement up until this point has been very, very good at creating dartboards, but terrible at providing people with darts to play the game." That's allowed for inaction, and active lobbying against climate change action from fossil fuel companies and others who stand to lose out ... The solution is "flipping it into a strong economic narrative that they can't possibly fight with".
Read moreDownloadHumans are comparative creatures and they're particularly comparative during election season. That's why we've created a rundown of all the energy-related election policies that have been announced by the parties so far.
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