Author: Richard Christie

Richard Christie runs a small motel on the Kapiti Coast and also writes the Balance Transfers blog. He is interested in how businesses can play a role in improving environmental outcomes, and the challenges associated with doing so. Although this is a blog nominally about the topic of inflation, one of the key recurring questions this blog covers is 'what will be the financial cost and financial impact of climate change?' The blog covers micro economic and business-specific topics relating to the business landscape in New Zealand.

Evaluating the Arguments Against Solar Power in NZ: Too Much Green Energy Already Comes Off the Grid

One of the main arguments made against solar power in New Zealand is that the New Zealand electric supply already derives primarily from renewable energy sources anyway. Because of this, introducing home- or business-based solar power generation systems will do relatively little to improve the eco-sustainability of the business or household.

Today I’m going to take a look at some of the reasons why this is not the case, and that even with a power supply network derived primarily from renewable sources, there is still a lot to be gained from solar installations.
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Doing the Math on Solar Power in New Zealand: An Introduction

The problem with solar power is, all too many people are looking for quick fix calculators that will tell them at a glance whether solar is affordable for them or not.

The reality is, return on investment calculations for solar power will depend upon your home or business’s specific circumstances.

This reductive thinking often leads people to overestimate the benefits of solar, or even, and perhaps worse, miss some of the critical benefits that would have made solar power worthwhile.

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How to Clean Up New Zealand’s Rivers Using Vermicomposting Systems

A few months ago I went to a talk with some representatives of the council in Feilding about composting. Their biggest problem they had was with what they called “biomass” – surplus run-off nutrients from farm waste disposal that they simply couldn’t compost, because they had insufficient compostable material to compost with it. I didn’t connect the dots at the time, but what they were referring to was nothing other than the sorts of run-off nutrients that are currently flooding New Zealand rivers, and which have become very topical in the lead-up to the election.

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“The Age of the Independent” – Why Sam Jennings Wants to Represent Ōtaki

In the year of a tightly contested election, having an independent candidate represent a relatively small but growing town may be an excellent strategy that pays big dividends. Whichever party gets into power, they might need the extra vote from Sam. Having an independent MP representing Ōtaki would be a huge political coup for the town – it would be the equivalent of having a genie in Parliament being able to grant any wish the electorate wanted.

This week we talk to Sam Jennings about his ideas, hopes and motivations in running as an independent MP representing Ōtaki.

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Achieving the Lowest Cost Per Printed Page: How to Choose Printer That Saves You Money Over the Long Term

I view myself as a motel manager, and as a motel manager, a big part of my job is to understand and tactically eliminate, reduce or renegotiate the overhead costs in my business.

I admit that I sometimes take this too far and perhaps need a bit of professional help. But so far as the business is concerned, it is excellent for our bottom line to have someone with these cost-cutting tendencies. Sure, such an approach may be aggravating for the people around me, but when it comes to choosing a new printer to replace the one that recently conked out (as happened last week), it is nothing short of a godsend.

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How Much Extra Energy Supply Will the Electric Fleet Require from NZ?

The phasing in of the electric fleet could be a momentous occasion for New Zealand, enabling us to switch from fuel consumption to electric vehicles powered primarily by renewable energy. But the process also comes with a series of economic effects, most notably the need to construct additional sources to power this fleet. In this article we look at what the electric fleet could require from NZ in terms of additional power sources.

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Creating a Decentralised Operating Plan Using the LSS Document, Or: The Art of Setting Up a Cot

It seriously disturbs me that the vast majority of businesses have almost no documented operating systems. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say that I lose sleep over it, and it is unlikely ever to lead to total societal collapse, it worries me in the background way that certain scratching behind a wall can be heard subconsciously in the depth of night.

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How Much Will The Average Vegan Save the NZ Government by 2050?

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about the amount of beef and lamb consumed domestically compared with international exports. The article involved much mathematics but was still insufficient to slake my number nerd thirst – so this week I have written an article that calculates the value that an average vegan will save the NZ Government by the year 2050.

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How Day & Night ICPs Allow for Strategic Power Use

The dry winter has resulted in low levels of hydroelectric energy generation, forcing NZ to rely more on other energy sources, in turn forcing the wholesale price of energy through the roof. The full effect of this will be felt over the next few months as energy retailers start to pass on their additional costs to households and businesses.

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