Read our new Electric Homes and Vehicles report
Whether you're in it for the economics or the emissions, upgrading to electric machines works - and it works particularly well in New Zealand, where we have lots of relatively cheap electricity and very expensive fossil fuels. Rewiring Aotearoa believes this transition is inevitable, primarily because it's crazy to use machines that cost more to do the same job and, increasingly, that's the case with fossil fuelled machines. Farmers and businesses are starting to grasp this, but Mike Hosking has a wee way to go. He discussed the Machine Count report on his Breakfast show. So do you agree with Mike Hosking ("Pointless. Waste of time. Nothing's changed) or Mike Casey ("We can solve climate and save everyone money")? Listen to Hosking's take on the Machine Count from 59.40.
Read moreDownload the document hereWhen 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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