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Power prices are rising, and not just because of inflation. But it’s hard to work out how to save money, if you can’t understand your bill. ... The Detail speaks to Josh Ellison, the research and development lead for Rewiring Aotearoa – a non-profit charity working to help New Zealand transition to a low-cost electrified economy. The group has recently released a report into how New Zealand homes can become more electric – and this doesn’t have to mean higher electricity prices. The key, Ellison says, is to use a mix of power from the grid with solar and and home battery (storing cheaper energy such as solar for use when that energy’s not available or more expensive). This option is becoming more attractive as prices for panels and batteries come down, but the group would like to see easier access to finance to install solar.
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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