
Bucking a common misconception, New Zealanders no longer say recycling is the most effective action they can take to reduce climate pollution ... A recent study from Rewiring Aotearoa, which didn’t attempt to measure consumer sentiment towards climate-friendly actions but did examine the benefits from electrifying homes, found New Zealanders can now save between $1400 and $4700 a year by fully decarbonising their households. This makes New Zealand one of the first countries in the world to reach a “tipping point” where electrifying households is now cheaper than relying on fossil fuels. “If we use more affordable, locally produced electricity – both from our highly renewable grid and through more customer generation – to run our much more efficient electric machines, households and businesses will save money, our energy system will be stronger and more resistant to shocks, the country’s balance of payments will be billions better off because we won’t need to import as many expensive fossil fuels, and our carbon emissions will shrink,” the report found.
Read moreDownload the document hereWhen Gunnar Friese visited his parents in Germany about a year and a half ago, he saw a lot of plug-in solar systems, but when he returned to New Zealand, he found they were illegal here. Since then he has been on a mission to introduce the technology and, with many political parties now on board and the Ministry of Regulation proposing it be legalised, it looks like it's about to take off.
Read moreDownloadThe LNG can has been kicked down the road, now it's time to stick it in the bin for good; EECA releases its first report on the two-way charging trial in Queenstown; the IEA releases its first electrification-focused report and says we're well and truly in the 'Age of Electricity'; two of our favourite energy nerds explain the primary energy fallacy; old EVs are more likely to pass tests than old petrol cars; who needs roads when you've got boats that work like planes?; and a spurious link between penguins and electrification.
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