The case for energy loans: read our latest explainer
Inspired by successful electrification expos run in the Wairarapa, Queenstown and Australia, new community-led group Electrify the Hutt has committed to running its own expo later in 2025 to educate and inspire their community about the significant economic and environmental benefits of electric machines running on clean electricity.
The group - which was kicked off by four founding members - plans to hold the Electrify the Hutt Expo in October.
“Energy costs continue to rise and the impacts of climate change are becoming more evident, but going electric is a tangible solution for homeowners and renters that can not only reduce energy bills by thousands each year but can also significantly reduce emissions,” says founding member James Scott. “By showing them that electric water and space heating, driving and cooking are cheaper and healthier over the long run than fossil fuel equivalents and exploring renewable technologies such as solar panels, batteries and micro wind turbines, attendees will gain insights into how they can take control of their energy use, lower their power bills, and reduce their reliance on gas and petrol.”
The expo will feature expert presentations, interactive displays, hands-on demonstrations, ‘ask me anything’ sessions to provide unbiased answers to community members’ questions and a social function for exhibitors. The group is confident it will attract hundreds of locals and a range of businesses, as well as MPs and councillors.
“Going electric is all about giving residents more agency - and giving businesses an opportunity,” says Scott, who had a 9.5kW solar system with a Tesla Powerwall 3 battery installed in January. “Climate change often feels too big to solve, but part of the solution is hiding in plain sight - it’s in our driveways, in our cupboards, and on our roof. And the more people who realise that all these individual ‘dinner table decisions’ add up to a lot of emissions reductions in the community and a lot of savings for those households, the better for everyone.”
Beyond environmental and financial benefits, the expo will also emphasise how local energy generation can create a more resilient region.
“When households and neighbourhoods produce their own energy, they are less vulnerable to disruptions from the national grid, as well as from energy price fluctuations from more volatile and mostly imported fuels. This resilience is especially important in the face of natural disasters or extreme weather events, as it provides communities with greater energy security and independence.”
Jay Salzke, ecosystem lead at Rewiring Aotearoa, says the first community meeting in the Hutt was a great success and it’s satisfying to see the initial enthusiasm for electrification blossom into an event.
“As a result of that first meeting, quite a few people said they would be reconsidering solar for their homes, with one inspired to take a solar proposal back to his marae, while local tradies, who will be the heroes of this energy transition, ended up with new leads. This shows the power of these local groups to influence their own community members and show them that going electric is a massive win-win. As they grow, they also become important political forces and can start to influence local decision makers. The revolution will be localised.”
Ultimately, the Electrify the Hutt Expo is more than an educational event, says Scott. It’s a call to action for individuals, families and businesses to explore how they can contribute to a wealthier, cleaner and more resilient Hutt Valley.
“By connecting with energy experts, local suppliers, and like-minded community members, attendees will leave equipped with the knowledge and inspiration to make informed decisions that benefit their homes, wallets and the planet. We can’t wait to see it come to life.”
RNZ's Kate Newton reports on the "madness" of thousands of new piped gas connections being installed into houses every year, despite dwindling supplies and higher lifetime costs.
Casey said it was positive that the numbers showed people starting to leave the gas network of their own accord, but not all households were in a position to make that choice.
"If we don't plan for a decommissioning of the gas network, then it's going to be a chaotic transition, where vulnerable New Zealanders really suffer."
As the research of Rewiring and others has shown, gas is expensive, it's getting more expensive, it's terrible for your health when burned inside and there are substitutes available right now that, on average, do the same job for less money over the long run for households, would save the country billions on health costs and lost productivity, and don't pump out unnecessary emissions.
Around 300,000 homes and businesses have connections to the gas network (it’s estimated another 300,000 use more expensive bottled gas, mostly in the South Island). The number of active connections has started to decline recently and the country’s largest gas network, Vector, is forecasting no new residential or commercial connections after 2029.
Upfront capital costs are the main barrier for many homes, which is why we're working hard on a low-interest, long-term loan scheme that can be used to pay for electric upgrades, including hot water heat pumps. This would mean paying for a new thing with a loan would be cheaper than paying to run the old thing.
Read more about the scheme here.
Disconnection costs are also a major barrier. We have seen examples where households permanently disconnecting from the network have been charged between $1,000 and $2,000 to have a meter permanently removed (i.e. digging up the pipes to the road), even though it should only cost customers $200 to have the connection capped at the house.
RNZ even reported a case where a business customer was quoted $7,500 but took the case to Utilities Disputes, where complaints about disconnection costs have been rising.
The Australian Energy Regulator and the state of Victoria have now capped the disconnection fees to a few hundred dollars to stop this kind of behaviour and protect households.
"My message is to not wait it out – instead, grab the opportunity to get ahead. In the long term, unless we hit another Maui, which is unlikely and would take decades to bring online, the era of cheap, abundant gas is over. Business leaders need to start planning now." That's EECA's chief executive Marcos Pelenur writing in the Herald about businesses struggling with rising gas prices and faster than expected declines in gas reserves.
Read moreDownloadTalk about driving change!ETrucks' Ross Linton is at the forefront of New Zealand's nascent electric trucking scene and can claim responsibility for a number of firsts, from the country's first electric concrete truck to the country's first battery swap set up. Since he brought his first electric truck in to the country back in 2018, the technology has advanced massively and driving on electrons has become quite a bit cheaper than diesel and, not surprisingly, that's inspiring a great deal of interest among businesses.
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