Te Whakahiko i ngā Marae | the Electric Marae report
Billions of dollars will be saved through the electrification of Canterbury and other South Island regions, a new study has found. By 2040, Canterbury households could collectively save $9.6 billion on energy bills – including upfront costs – if 80% of them converted to solar power, batteries and all-electric appliances, according to Rewiring Aotearoa, a non-partisan electrification group. The power bill for each of those households would be about $2500 a year lower than if they continued buying electricity from the grid, the Electrify Canterbury study found.
Billions of dollars will be saved through the electrification of Canterbury and other South Island regions, a new study has found.
By 2040, Canterbury households could collectively save $9.6 billion on energy bills – including upfront costs – if 80% of them converted to solar power, batteries and all-electric appliances, according to Rewiring Aotearoa, a non-partisan electrification group.
The power bill for each of those households would be about $2500 a year lower than if they continued buying electricity from the grid, the Electrify Canterbury study found.
Rewiring Aotearoa's Matt Newman: "For marae, however, there aren't a huge amount of places where they could turn to unless they're engaging professional services around electrification. We know that that hasn't often been in the funding piece either. You know, funders will happily fund upgrades for marae, but they won't fund the due diligence that's necessary to support marae in making really good decisions for the long-term future."
Read moreDownloadRewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey told Andrew Dickens plug-in solar is a simple process, which many countries including the US, UK, and places across Europe have made the most of. Labour's policy is similar but says changes to enable plug-in solar would be within 12 months of a government it leads taking office.
A shocking increase in the power bill for a marae that converted to solar energy has raised concerns about installers and regulation. The monthly power bill for Taranaki's Owae Marae has rocked to as much as $2000 a month, up from about $400. That's despite installing a solar system on its wharekai to save money. Matt Newman from Rewiring Aotearoa spoke to Lisa Owen about this issue and our new Electric Marae report.
