 |
|
An on-grid or grid-connected power system provides a renewable energy supply to a home or bach that is still connected to
the mains electricity grid.
|
Energy saving options
With ever-increasing power prices and growing awareness of our environmental impact, people are now
interested in finding ways of reducing their energy usage, carbon footprint and monthly power bill.
For existing homeowners we firstly recommend finding out about the insulation rating of your home
and how to improve it, as a lot of energy can be lost through poor insulation.
See below for other areas where you can reduce your energy consumption.
Please click here for more information on on-grid energy generation.
Space / room heating
For homes connected to the grid, we recommend a Heat Pump as the most energy efficient way to warm
your home. There are many different brands and models on the market, with all sorts of features
available. You should find a well known model with a high energy efficiency rating that uses an
eco-friendly gas, unlike some of the cheaper brands available.
There are other advantages to using a heat pump: you no longer have to spend time cutting,
chopping, stacking and drying wood, or cutting down our precious trees, and you avoid the hassle of
having to light and clean the fire. Because heat pumps use so little power, there isn’t the huge
cost of gas or electricity to produce the heat you need in winter, and you have the added ability
to cool your home in the summer.
ecogise solar water heating
Heating your water usually accounts for around half your monthly power consumption. Using flat
plate solar water heating you can produce 75% or more of your water heating from free solar energy, depending
on the time of year and where you live.
Our ecogise solar
water heating systems are made in New Zealand and we can custom build a system to meet almost
any requirement or roof curve. We supply a range of different sizes, but for most residential homes
we recommend using a 270L cylinder so that enough hot water is collected and stored during the day
when the UV radiation is available. Current government legislation provides a $1000 rebate for the
installation of a solar hot water system as a means of reducing power consumption for residential
users connected to the mains power grid. For more information visit www.eeca.govt.nz
Energy efficient refrigeration
Fridges and freezers run 24 hours a day so it makes sense to ensure you have energy-efficient
refrigeration in place. ecogise are licensed dealers for Samsung’s energy efficient fridge/freezer range. Samsung
produces family-sized units with energy ratings as low as 349kw/h per year, whereas some domestic
units available can use upwards of 700kw/h per year. Most models in stores now display their energy
efficiency with a star-rating.
Other savings
It is also worth considering the energy consumption of other appliances, like your washing machine
and dryer, as there are some really efficient models available now.
Another simple and cheap way to reduce energy consumption is to replace your conventional light
bulbs with eco bulbs.
Some modern homes have lots of little halogen down-lights and as there is no eco-alternative for
this style of lighting currently. All you can do in this instance is switch off lights when they
are not required.
Please click here for more information on on-grid energy generation.
For more information on making your home more energy efficient, please contact us.
|