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We love a bit of renewable hydro power in New Zealand, but Ray Tomlinson from JT Group has brought a new meaning to that phrase with what he calls "probably the first battery electric operated commercial water blaster".
Tomlinson has been washing buildings since the '80s but he wanted to develop technology that was a bit gentler on the environment. He says an old petrol machine might use $10k worth of fuel a year and running one for an hour is like driving from Auckland to Wellington.
Like a lot of electric equivalents, while the upfront cost is higher, the numbers they've done suggest that over five years it won't cost any more than a current petrol version.
It's not just costs or emissions it will be reducing, either. Petrol water blasters are very loud so using an electric version means workers finished up the day feeling a lot more refreshed.
He says there was some initial scepticism from the team, but the noise reduction has been a real benefit.
The company is looking to lease the machines and you can get yours by heading to the Summit Building Wash Technologies site https://loom.ly/qmkc-Os
When Mike Casey bought his house near Cromwell, it came with gas bottles on the side of the home for water and an expensive diesel system for the underfloor heating. He replaced both of them with a Steibel Eltron system and it's been saving him money ever since. As technical manager Bhawesh Singh told him at the Electrify Queenstown conference, there has been a big influx in enquiries from homes looking to get off the molecules and onto electrons.
Read moreDownloadConfidence that cutting regulations to make solar power more accessible - won't jeopardise people's safety. A new Regulation Ministry reports laid out a potential blueprint to legalise plug-in solar and reduce the time and cost of panel installation. Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey shares his thoughts with Andrew Dickens.
The burgeoning demand for solar was also a chance to address a mismatch between the numbers of training opportunities available and young people searching for work, Casey said. "The mums of New Zealand are telling me that there's not enough apprenticeships for their kids and the solar installers of New Zealand are telling me there's not enough trained people."
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