Read our new Electric Homes and Vehicles report
Electrifying your household appliances - which in most cases means ditching a gas cooktop, gas heating and hot water - can save the average household more than $1000 per year, according to data modelling recently commissioned by the Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority [and Rewiring Aotearoa]. The study also found annual running cost and lifetime-cost gains from solar and swapping out a petrol or diesel vehicle for an EV - at least if you use cheaper charging at home rather than pricey public chargers, even allowing for impending road user chargers.
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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