Rewiring Aotearoa

There are over 30 million boats in the world. And fewer than 100 of them are electric hydrofoiling boats, but because they are three-to-five times better at using energy than fossil fuel powered boats, they are about to take off, says Vessev CEO Eric Laakman.

Proving that electric technology can reduce costs and emissions for farmers and advocating for rapid electrification as CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa has earned Mike Casey another title, this time the Otago Daily Times business leader of the year for 2024. As business editor Sally Rae wrote: "Being an entrepreneur, it was all about problems to solve and right now there was no bigger problem to solve than the climate problem ... Often climate action was not pro-business but he was a businessman so it was about pairing good smart business with climate action, and his goal was for New Zealand to be seen as a ‘beacon of light’ on how to do that." Forest Lodge Orchard has become a powerful demonstration project to show what's possible and Rewiring Aotearoa's message is hitting home with different types of Kiwis. He's making a positive impact and that makes him feel like he's doing everything he can to make sure his kids' future is a little bit brighter. So, as you reflect on the year that's passed and set a few goals for the years to come, what impact will you have? How are you planning on making the future a little bit brighter? You can start by upgrading one of your old fossil fuel machines and replacing it with a more efficient electric alternative. And then make a plan to upgrade the rest of them. Let's make 2025 more electric.

This was amazing news leading into harvest. Thanks Sally Rae and the Otago Daily Times for highlighting the great work we are doing Rewiring Aotearoa Whakahiko te ao (Let’s electrify everything) https://lnkd.in/gHWH-CfN

Our global emissions problem is largely an energy problem. And, as Saul Griffith says, solving that problem in practice is a machines problem. We can't stop all human activity, so if we want to have our capitalist cake and save the climate too, we need to upgrade all the machines to electric versions and power them with renewable electricity. So if you're making any New year's resolutions, it's time to make the switch in 2025

There's always a fair bit of rubbish to pick up after Christmas and Josh, a project engineer working at Waste Management NZ, is helping to ensure that pick-up is electric. As he explains, while the drivers are initially a bit sceptical, they are quickly converted to the joys of electric driving: smoother, cleaner, quieter, and easier on the body. WMNZ's electric truck fleet recently celebrated a big milestone and clocked up two million kilometres travelled. And while CEO Evan Maehl and the team have had to retrofit their trucks, more of the global manufacturers are producing electric models now and he is pushing New Zealand as a good test market.

'Tis the season for a few festive libations, so imagine if there was a technology that could take one beer and create four. That technology doesn't exist, obviously, but it's basically what a heat pump does when it turns energy into heat. As Saul Griffith explains, because burning things is very inefficient, gas hot water systems lose energy in the process of creating heat. Heat pumps transfer heat from the surrounding air to heat the water and are around three or four times more efficient than gas. That means they need less energy to do the same thing. Cheers to that.

On Aotea / Great Barrier Island, residents are already energy conscious because the homes are off-grid. It is a decentralised network, but Tama Toki's Aotea Energy is looking to find a way to bring community storage into the equation - and he hopes it could eventually help create a solution for different communities around New Zealand that are keen to embrace renewable energy.

RNZ Afternoons host Jesse Mulligan has four kids and still uses gas in the home. So how much could he save if he went electric? And what would it cost to make it happen? Rewiring Aotearoa CEO Mike Casey joined him on the show recently to talk about the new household electrification calculator and how it makes power personal. As they discussed, each houseshold's energy use is different and these upgrades to more efficient heat pumps, induction cooktops and electric vehicles don't come cheap, but the calculator shows you how much money you can save over the long-run and what it means for your household's emissions. It can also factor in the impact of rooftop solar and batteries, which - even if you add it to your mortgage and pay interest on it - is a bit like paying the lowest possible rate for a subscription to electricity. Listen to the whole interview 👉 https://loom.ly/meZsOQ0 And plug in your own info to the calculator to see your savings.

This is my amazing dad Simon Casey who I believe to be the first all electric ACT New Zealand candidate, representing the mighty Wairarapa. He’s got solar on the roof, a battery and recently bought his EV - why? Because it makes economic sense for his household. This Christmas, make the dinner table discussions fun and positive. Focus on the win-win for New Zealand because, with an accelerated energy transition, everyone gets what they want. Meri kirihimete Aotearoa New Zealand and Electrify your Dad!

Charge your glasses for the last Electric Avenue of the year ... 😎 Research from Australia shows areas with higher unemployment rates are more likely to seek out the cost savings and bill certainty of solar. ⛽ Residents of Thames protesting about high petrol prices are reminded that electricity is the cheapest fuel and rooftop solar is the cheapest electricity. 🚚 ⚡ The first Windrose electric truck has landed in New Zealand and everyone is reminded that the efficiency of electricity smashes the other options. 🔌 Why tradies will be the heroes of the energy transition (and have a big role to play in terms of recommendations). 🥘 A clever induction stove that doesn't require any wiring changes. 🔥 And some helpful safety tips for oil CEOs. May you all eat dessert for breakfast on Boxing Day. 🍰 https://loom.ly/DlnFZAw