Source: MakeLemonade.nz
Ōtautahi – As the days get longer and summer draws near there are many things to look forward to, including smaller power bills and smarter energy use.
Winter months represent peak electricity use in New Zealand, particularly in the mornings and evenings as we all turn on heaters, our lights are on longer and we generally spend more time indoors.
It’s these winter peaks that stretch our renewable electricity resources, keeping us reliant on fossil fuels to generate enough electricity to meet demand.
Currently around 80-85 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources. To help Aotearoa get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, New Zealand has a target to reach an average of 90 percent renewable energy by 2025.
An added challenge to consider is the increasing demand for electricity from projected population growth, electric vehicles and the electrification of industry where energy needs are currently often met with fossil fuels.
The solution is a combination of increasing our renewable electricity generation capacity such as new wind farms and being smarter about using electricity with energy-efficient technologies and shifting some energy use to off-peak times.
New smart home technology that is expected to be available in New Zealand next year will help keep electricity use and power bills down in Kiwi households, while also managing pressure on the national electricity grid.
For households with a power-hungry energy, there is extra incentive to hook up to smart home technology because of the potential cost savings. Government agency EECA has a report Publicly Available Specifications for smart homes, to guide householders and retailers until the new market is regulated.
It says a home’s hot water cylinder accounts for about a third of our electricity use. It is constantly working to keep water heated and ready for use, even when not home to use it.
New Zealand is preparing to introduce a new flexible demand service that will help optimise home energy supply and relieve pressure on the national grid.
For homes that are connected via a flexibility supplier, this means your appliances will only draw electricity when people use them and save you money when theydon’t. The excess electricity can either be diverted for use somewhere else in your home, by someone else, or never be generated at all.
This new service is expected to be up and running within the next year or so and there are things to be done now to get ready, such as installing a home energy management system, or looking for smart capability when buying new appliances.
