Building the real-world blueprint for a better energy future
If you’re into lower bills, lower emissions and higher resilience, then it’s time to go electric. That’s the message the Queenstown Electrification Accelerator is spreading and it’s here to help make that process easier for local homes and businesses - and turn the town into the world’s most electric destination.
Electrification is the replacement of fossil fuel machines (gas, petrol and diesel) with electric equivalents. Because electric machines are much more efficient, they can do the same job using only a quarter to a third of the physical energy. While they’re generally more expensive upfront, New Zealand is one of the first countries to reach a tipping point where they are now cheaper over the long run.
They’re even cheaper when they’re run with rooftop solar and embracing this means homes can save thousands every year and businesses can save even more.
“Upgrading these machines saves money and is also likely to be the biggest thing people can do to reduce their emissions, so it’s a true win-win,” says QEA’s Josh Ellison. “What’s often not realised is three quarters of the world’s emissions come from machines burning fossil fuels and, because of our high fuel and gas prices in Queenstown, we actually have an opportunity to demonstrate to the world how to make this transition well. It doesn’t have to be about scarcity, it can be about substitution, energy abundance and fun. We should be the postcard for that story.”
Resilience is also key for this part of the world.
“We’re staring down the barrel of some major disruption from an Alpine Fault earthquake, which we are unprepared for,” says Ellison. “A log burner and a gas bottle is survival. But homes and businesses with solar, batteries and EVs have real resilience - and you can pay it off with the savings.”
The QEA is also running the country’s biggest vehicle-to-grid trial in Queenstown, alongside EECA. Many new electric cars have big enough batteries to store multiple days of household energy and some will be able to be plugged in to run homes and businesses or feed energy back into the grid when it’s most needed.
While the QEA has some big goals, they are all aimed at creating wide reaching benefits to the community and Ellison says the team of independent experts is here to make it easier for people to electrify, whether that’s through case studies on local homes and businesses, group discounts on hot water heat pumps, or resources that help guide decisions on everything from fleet upgrades to solar quotes.
“We’re not selling anything. Think of us as energy nerds who are here to help you make these decisions. Going electric will save people money, keep more money in the community, create local jobs, and make Queenstown globally recognisable. More people are starting to recognise the opportunity and the momentum is growing.”
- Find out more at qea.nz
And sign up for tickets to the upcoming events for businesses in Queenstown and Wānaka at qea.nz/community-events
