Articles about Energy
Solar in a Renewable Based Energy Market
It is well known that in New Zealand, energy generation is largely renewable. Around 65% of generation is hydro-based mainly in the South Island and around 15% is geothermal based through the central to the eastern side of the North Island. In the following series of articles, we will look at the pros and cons of commercial solar installations in the New Zealand market.
During the last National-led Government, there was little emphasis placed on increasing the uptake of large-scale Solar (with the current Labour-led Government this may change) as it was seen merely as converting from one...
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Cost Savings Stack Up on Electric Vehicles
In this fourth and final article evaluating whether electric vehicles are a fad or the future, I conclude they are indeed the future.
I can feel the cold chill of the climate change deniers and petrol heads breathing down my collar as I write.
I love a grunty V8 as much as the next Kiwi. But the words, “Show me the money”, aren’t restricted to a Tom Cruise movie.
Yes, there are issues around the distance range, price and style options of electric vehicles (EVs). Yes, you will require a three-phase electricity supply if you want to charge your EV in less than eight hours....
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Plenty of power for electric cars in NZ
In this Part III examining whether electric vehicles (EVs) are a fad or really are the future, we consider the implications for the supply of electricity and more.
What happens when New Zealand stops importing oil and substitutes it with hydro, geothermal, solar and wind energy to make our cars and trucks work?
To start with, New Zealand would move from a current account deficit to a budget surplus. That’s good news all round. Save money on oil, save the planet, sleep easy at night.
Except…
There are 3.9 million registered cars and trucks in New Zealand. They consume $11.8...
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How energy data will transform your operations
Many businesses begin collecting energy data as a means of saving energy – and energy costs. While this remains one of the greatest benefits of energy data analysis, its appeal does not start nor end with direct financial considerations.
In fact, focusing only on energy savings has led to an underestimation of the full value of data-backed energy management in global economies.
Across all sectors – from manufacturing to retail to healthcare – organisations are harnessing the operational efficiency benefits that result from energy data like never before by:
Assembling and...
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Driving Decisions on Buying Electric Vehicles
Last month’s article on electric vehicles elicited responses ranging from “hippy, coombyah, PC, Greenie horse poo” through to “Where can I get one of these gosh darn, new-fangled, electric buggies?”. Thanks to you all for your feedback.
Rather than take sides in the debate about whether or not we should be buying electric vehicles, let’s examine the drivers that inform the decisions we will all make around which vehicles our companies buy.
Price
Electric vehicles are expensive. Buying electric vehicles today, we can expect to pay BMW prices for Corolla performance. As...
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Infusing New Operational Intelligence into Old Equipment
A client of ours recently installed energy sensors across two areas of their facility. One area is significantly old using good practice equipment for the time, the other brand new and utilising advancements in equipment technology. Both areas are similarly sized and perform the same operation, however, measuring energy performance between the old and new will provide our client with real insights when making future strategic decisions.
While our client operates a large portfolio of facilities around the North Island, they are using this specific site as a sandbox environment, a...
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Electric Vehicles – Future or Fad?
True story. An employee took the flash new company Electric Vehicle (EV) up North on a sales trip. On the way home, they realised that the battery charge was running out so stopped in a small town to find a charging point. There was, inevitably, no charging station for electric vehicles so they rang the tow company and got a ride home alongside a towie with bad breath and even worse body odour. Back at work, the boss pointed out the switch that turned the hybrid vehicle back to petrol power.
My point? Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are still a bit of a mystery both to their users...
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How to Unleash the Value of Sensors and Big Data
In the past couple of years, we have written a lot of commentary about how the world of IT and the world of Energy are converging. As more and more companies are choosing not to own and operate their IT, the role of IT departments is fast moving away from just technical support towards strategic thinking informed by data analysis. The same can be said for Energy as companies gain access to wireless energy monitoring via cloud-based analytics, CIO's and IT managers have equal interest as COO's and plant managers as the Internet of Things is rolled out.
The convergence of data across all...
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Leaking air, leaking bottom line: top money-saving tips
The following was published in the NZ Herald 25th of November 2017 and includes energy tips from Total Utilities' own Pushkar Kulkarni who reveals how leaking air wastes money.
Four energy experts offer top tips to save money
Running an air-conditioning unit at full tilt to cool down one part of a building, while a boiler blazes away to heat another part of that same building, sounds like madness - but it's surprisingly common in New Zealand's commercial buildings.
It's just one of the ways businesses are squandering energy, and therefore money, in the course of their day-to-day...
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Watercare House Case Study: Anchor tenant scores a NABERSNZ excellent rating for energy use
Pushkar Kulkarni from Total Utilities completed the site review and NABERSNZ Assessment of Watercare House. Here he provides additional commentary to the original published case study, highlighting the specific benefits of a NABERSNZ tenancy rating.
"A NABERSNZ tenancy rating is an ideal tool for tenants as it shows them how their day to day operations impact their energy performance. It can also determine how well they manage energy and identify the opportunities that may exist to improve energy performance.
In an increasingly competitive market place and businesses look for a point of...
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