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In The Post last week, Community Energy Taranaki co-founder Steve Francis urged "people to quiz their local candidates" about the Ratepayer Assistance Scheme and why it was still in front of the Government. "Francis said the ratepayer scheme would benefit many households who could not afford the upfront cost [the biggest barrier] or access bank finance [green loans are only available to around 20% of the population]." Putting 'downward pressure on prices' has done, to use a technical term, jack shit. And spending over $500 million on the winter energy payment to help people deal with those rising prices is a false economy. It's time for an actual reduction in energy bills and the RAS enables it. So wherever you are in the country, ask your MP why you're still waiting.
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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