Using renewable energy
Beacon’s goal is to see more homes using energy supplied from local renewable sources. Primarily this means encouraging use of renewable low grade energy that can very adequately meet space heating and water heating requirements – from proven technologies such as solar water heating and low emission wood burners and pellet fires, to newer technologies such as solar thermal/wetback combined systems.
A framework for selecting renewable energy options
Beacon’s Energy team set out to identify the technical criteria that determine which renewable energy options (and combinations) are best suited to different types of New Zealand homes and/or their climatic/geographic location. The Development of Renewables Framework for Decision Making report (below) sets out a framework for selecting and assessing different technologies and evaluating appropriate renewable options.
It applies the framework to a series of new and retrofit scenarios to illustrate that a variety of suitable renewable energy options exist to satisfy energy demands at both the home and neighbourhood scales. The scenarios cover both Auckland and Dunedin locations and include the following typologies:
- Retrofit villa, 500m2 urban section
- Multi-unit 60/s flat with 6 units
- New Build, house, urban section
- New build multi-unit development (6 units)
One output of this work is a Solar Assessment Checklist to help homeowners make the right choice for their site.
Testing renewable options in our live research projects
Using renewable energy has been a feature of Beacon’s monitored research homes.
- The Waitakere NOW Home® incorporated passive solar design for space heating and a solar water heating system.
- The Rotorua NOW Home® used passive solar design and a pellet burner for space heating, and a solar water heating system.
- In the Papakowhai Renovation project, the high sustainability renovations included solar water heating systems with and without wetbacks, wood burners and pellet burners.
- The New Zealand Housing Foundation HomeSmart Home includes photovoltaic electricity generation.
The data we have gathered from monitoring has given us confidence in the benefits of using solar and other sources of renewable energy - not just for power savings but also in terms of comfort and healthy indoor environment.
We have also learned a lot about how to get the best performance from your solar water heating system.
Support for solar water heating
Beacon has for a long time pushed for extending local and central government support for solar water heaters in our submissions to council Long Term Community Consultation Plans and on government subsidy schemes.
EECA’s Energywise scheme offers subsidies for solar water heaters. Visit http://www.energywise.govt.nz/funding-available/solar-and-heat-pump-water-heating-funding for more information.
In 2010 Nelson City Council launched its Solar Saver Scheme, an innovative approach to encouraging more residents to take up solar water heaters by both providing financial assistance and removing the difficulties in gaining consent.
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31-Jan-2009 (Report EN6590/3)
Development of Renewables Framework for Decision Making (PDF 1.47MB)
Mandy Armstrong, Verney Ryan
This report analyses appropriate local renewable energy solutions for New Zealand houses and neighbourhoods. It sets out a framework for decision making to enable the process of technology selection, technology assessment and the evaluation of appropriate renewable options. A series of new and retrofit scenarios illustrate that a variety of suitable renewable energy options exist to satisfy energy demands at both the home and neighbourhood scales.
