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For Jack Tame, the question of going solar is not if, but when. As he said on his Newstalk ZB show after confronting a big electricity bill, "there are only so many gains to be won from policing light switches and shower times. I’m seriously wondering about solar ... The huge surge in solar is being driven by economics. Put simply, solar power is way, way, way cheaper than other forms of electricity generation. Between batteries and solar panels, the technology is only getting better and only getting cheaper."
It pays to remember that using grid electricity is cheaper than using fossil fuels and using solar is the cheapest form of delivered electricity New Zealanders can get. If you can also run your EV on the sun, that will significantly increase the savings.
Demand for solar was already growing here, albeit from a low-base, and recent changes from the Government and the Electricity Authority are postive signals for New Zealanders to invest.
We're also working hard on a scheme that would help overcome the higher upfront costs of electric machines and solar by offering low-interest, long-term electrification loans that are tied to a property and we're confident that will increase uptake.
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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