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Lucy Cooper talks to Justine Prain and Vern Brassel about two free events that are "designed to light a spark for those thinking about electrifying their homes and businesses".
We've loved seeing community groups develop and there are now over 20 of them around the motu, with many more set to start up soon. Wairarapa is one of the regions leading the charge after putting on a two-day conference last year and they're following up on that success by turning it into an ongoing project and running two events.
Word of mouth is a powerful force and the neighbouhood effect is real so the first event will focus on local case studies (including Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey's dad Simon).
“We’ve got a couple of people talking about their own experience of solar and battery, as well as hot water heat pumps,” Vern Brasell said. “And Lindsay Cairns from Masterweave Textiles will talk about why it made sense to go solar for a business.”
The success of this group is a powerful demonstration of the way grassroots action can change perspectives - and how electrification appeals right across the political spectrum.
Book your tickets to the event at https://events.humanitix.com/why-electrify-wairarapa?hxchl=hex-pfl
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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