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When you live in a 'pocket neighbourhood', it makes sense to run on the sun and embrace electric tech - and that's exactly what the Peterborough Housing Co-op in Christchurch has done. Jim Small, a trustee for the Ōtākaro Land Trust, says the co-op has been around since the early '80s and it's "designed with the community in mind". Think shared spaces, shared gardens, cars on the outside, shared utilities and shared energy.
Solar helps to keep the costs low for everyone and, as he says, during the summer, the power bill for 14 units and a large common space is less than $1000.
The system was designed for 'minimum constant demand' so it didn't require batteries and it exports very little excess energy.
Overseas, district heating schemes generate centrally and distribute to homes in the area and Peterborough is a microcosm of that approach, with low temperature water pumped around the homes as underfloor heating, "which people love", and heat pumps handling the higher temperature water.
Advances in technology and falling costs mean customer-owned solar and batteries can play a critical role in New Zealand’s energy infrastructure - improving affordability, resilience and sustainability. Multiple trading relationships (MTR) and peer-to-peer trading would enable this potential by increasing competition, customer choice, and innovation in the electricity market, unlocking greater consumer benefits from customer solar and batteries.
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