Electricity
Electricity demand is one of the fastest areas for concern. Coal and gas powered generation stations consume massive amounts of natural resources while also having a massive impact on the environment.
in New Zealand, the main method of power generation is hydro which is clean and renewable...when it rains enough. however this still has to be supplemented by alternatives.
Wind power is clean and a very attractive alternative for new Zealand, however the size of the generation towers and the associated visual pollution makes it very difficult to gain resource consent. people all agree that they need power, but are not prepared to make any sacrifice themselves to obtain it.
Many alternatives are well worth investigating for the average person. For Example, retrofitting a house for solar water heating or a heat pump driven hot water cylinder can both achieve a 70 % saving in electricity for water heating.
Unfortunately, a complete retrofit of an existing house to self generated power is a very costly exercise. the average house consumes between 3.5-5 KWH per day. to achieve this amount of generation requires a system which is typically capable of wind, solar and diesel generation to ensure complete self sustainability. this is most beneficial when building a new house, particularly when the house is a significant distance from the existing power lines.
When looking at retrofitting a house, solar power for lighting and water heating options are the two areas that can be achieved both economically and realistically, without having to replace appliances or spend an absolute fortune on wiring refits or power inverters.
