Affordable electrification for all
We are particularly excited to roll out initiatives targeted for renters and households for whom there are financial barriers to electrification.
Solar For Renters
Coming soon
The lowest cost energy for households today is rooftop solar. If a household has access to the capital to buy it, or the approval to finance it, it is one of, if not the most, impactful way to lower energy bills for the home, no matter who is living in the property.
Yet this future is much more accessible to homeowners than renters. Renters don't own their roof and can't install rooftop solar without permission. Their landlord currently has little reason to install solar just to lower the tenants bills. Many renters are on low and/or fixed incomes, and would benefit most from the savings solar can provide.
When an electricity network company wants to build new poles and wires, the cost can be charged to the home - no matter the tenant - for the next few decades. One set of rules for energy sector companies, another for the people who could benefit most from lower bills.
The Solar For Renters project aims to solve this barrier, enabling solar on the third of homes that are rented, bill savings available to renters, and an easy and trustable process for landlords. The funding for this initiative will include the research to scope out the feasible mechanisms and policy designs to ensure that landlords are incentivised to install rooftop solar, and most importantly, that it will result in lower power bills for tenants.
Low-cost Charging Network
Coming soon
The transition from fossil fuel to electric vehicles is an opportunity to reduce the region’s emissions, air pollution, and household transport costs which is a significant contributor to rising cost of living. Second hand electric vehicles are now within reach for many low-income households (especially given typical travel journeys in Tāhuna and Wanaka are short, and suit a Nissan Leaf), and could save significant amounts of money for these households.
However, current charging infrastructure disproportionately favours homeowners with private garages that have power outlets in them. This creates an accessibility barrier for apartment dwellers (where there are no carparks, or no dedicated power points per carpark), those in shared homes (e.g. flats, where it would be difficult to attribute power bill costs; or where there are many cars that need to fit in the driveway and they can’t all reach a power point), and those living in homes without dedicated parking (often those who would benefit the most from reduced transport costs). Furthermore, current commercial charging networks are predominantly fast-chargers with premium pricing. Renters are particularly impacted by this, having more difficult and expensive access to charging electric cars, which biases against those on low income.
Our Low-cost Charging Network initiative proposes a more accessible alternative: deploying medium-speed chargers around common community spaces. For the cost of one fast-charger, about 20 medium-speed chargers can be installed, and deliver electricity at half the current fast-charge rate while still being financially viable. The requested funding, particularly for our Community Energy Navigators, will support the development of a comprehensive implementation blueprint and the deployment of pilot chargers in strategic community locations. Through this pilot, we will gather usage data, community feedback, and economic validation to refine the model.
The long-term objective for this initiative is to establish scalable, community-owned charging infrastructure that offers lower prices for EV charging while reinvesting profits back into the charging network, so cost savings can be made accessible to more people and areas in the community. This would democratise access to affordable EV charging, regardless of one’s housing situation. It directly addresses transport equity & transport poverty while accelerating regional decarbonisation efforts by lowering the barriers to EV adoption across all demographics.
