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While we like to talk about the economic, environmental and resilience benefits of using more electricity, there’s no denying that the news is dominated by stories about increasing electricity prices.
RNZ looked at the increasing numbers of pensioners who are struggling to cope with higher bills and have resorted to "extreme power rationing". One of the only ways to bring electricity prices down is with rooftop solar, so we're working on a range of schemes to make that happen.
It’s depressing. It’s ineffective. And when the cost of generating electricity has never been cheaper through rooftop solar, it’s hard to swallow.
Those who have the capital or can access a loan have a very strong economic incentive to invest in solar (and, to a lesser degree, batteries) because they’re basically buying a few decades of cheap energy upfront and locking in that low price.
But what about everyone else? What about the approximately one third of New Zealanders who rent? What about those who are asset rich but cash poor and can't deal with too many cost increases?
It’s important to point out that electricity is still cheaper for households than using other fuels, but one of the only ways we can actually bring electricity prices down is by getting more solar on rooftops (or replacing the fixed costs with something smarter).
We know the biggest barrier to uptake is upfront costs. That’s why we’re working hard on a number of schemes to address that.
🏦 We’ve been advocating for long-term, low-interest loans for electrification upgrades that will be tied to properties and delivered through the proposed Ratepayer Assistance Scheme. The idea has bipartisan support in Central Government and a number of councils are also getting behind it.
😎We’re working on a solar for renters scheme that will reduce costs for tenants and incentivise landlords to put panels on their properties.
🔌We’re exploring the potential of plug-in solar for New Zealand households. While these systems only supply a small amount of electricity, the balcony solar movement has taken off in places like Germany and Spain and systems are now even being sold at Ikea.
Hardship will always be an issue, but if we embrace modern technology and find ways for more people to access it, energy hardship doesn't need to be a big part of that.
Financial commentator Frances Cook uses her own story to show that that an investment in solar and an EV significantly outperforms the stock market and fellow number cruncher Nadine Higgins says that if you do it right, EVs are cheaper to run and own; EV sales have climbed to their highest level since 2022 and are closing in on 2023's numbers and Go Rentals has just invested $2.3 million in some new Tesla Model Y Premiums; the gap between energy costs of diesel vans and utes and electric vans and utes is absolutely massive; solar is also going off right now, with one installer in Otago 448% above their sales target in March; Lightforce has gone back to the Barretts with a new TV ad; Wellington mayor Andrew Little explains its electrification strategy and Hutt City Council shares data showing how its fleet has gone from dirty Toyotas to cleaner EVs; Shenzen in China has electrified its public transport and taxis and that's come with big benefits - and some challenges; and a very simple illustration of the LNG terminal.
Read moreDownloadAs Minister of energy, climate and local government, Simon Watts had a great opportunity to push the country towards cheaper, cleaner and more reliable New Zealand-made energy. And that’s why we laid down a challenge and gave him the ‘MegaWatts’ moniker last year. Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey says he did some good things, like enabling more solar on farms, removing tax on solar exports, fixing onerous solar consenting requirements, putting pressure on the lines companies to pull up their socks, and getting the ball rolling on the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme. "But the LNG import terminal appears to have been a defining issue."
Read moreDownloadAfter ‘crunching the numbers’ and adding in new sources of ‘New Zealand-made energy’ to our equations, CEO Mike Casey has announced that Rewiring Aotearoa will be changing its name to Refuelling Aotearoa. There has been a huge amount of independently verified research showing electrification beats fossil fuels on economics, efficiency, emissions and energy security and that there is a huge opportunity for New Zealand to electrify, but the discovery of an infinite supply of snake oil in New Zealand has changed everything, he says.
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