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Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey writes in Build Magazine about the role electrification and rooftop solar can play in energy efficiency. "While this transition increases electricity use, it can reduce overall household energy consumption by up to 70% – a far greater efficiency gain than measures like insulation and sealing, which have long been the focus of energy-efficiency efforts. While thermal envelope upgrades remain important, electrification offers a better return on investment for households. This goes against conventional wisdom, but it’s due to the price drops in solar, heat pumps and electric vehicles."
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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