Your report will be very useful in helping consumers understand how they can financially benefit from investing in the transition to Green Energy.

You may be interested that a couple of years ago (when I was 80) I had a 7KWH solar system installed at my home and then installed a Tesla battery last year. I have fuelled my house and Tesla EV which is getting to almost 20,000kms for nothing other than the capital cost ($40K not including the EV) and currently have a $620 credit at Octopus my supplier. If I took that credit in cash it would more than pay for my Tesla fuelling away from home.

The EV is largely charged using a Tesla App – “charge on Solar only” a very useful load shifting mechanism which gives a significantly better result than charging at off peak rates. I charge my Hot Water using a timer for around peak production - mid-day and sometimes when very cloudy I simply press a button to turn it off - again load shifting.

I am moving to a retirement village shortly and have a larger 10KWH system and Tesla battery underway there. My thinking is to future proof myself against the inevitable rise in Electricity prices. The buyer of my current home certainly paid a premium because of my solar – so that actually cost me nothing and easily provided the funding for the new installation. Looked at another way I am also just over two years towards my seven year payback. It's never too late to start.

It does seem to me that Government could usefully finance younger people into solar in much the same way that  many years ago State Advances helped my wife and I with our first home and in the process save some of the inevitable costs to the Nation of rising grid demand. In reality a loan and a win-win for user and  nation. Seven year finance would work using the savings for repayment.

Some modelling around the size of the fund necessary to achieve this using a range of annual installation numbers would clearly be useful to Government. State housing could also look at solar - charge somewhat higher rents and reduce/remove tenant power costs.

This would also appeal to those (like me) concerned about global warming.

Watch Mike speak to Newshub's Isobel Ewing about ensuring energy security at the two-minute mark here

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