Tag: Energy

Articles covering NZ’s energy supply and retail sectors.

Is the coast clear? Ebiking from Otaki to Paraparaumu Beach for work

As part of my preparation for travelling to work each day, I hired a mountain bike to test out the voyage from Paraparaumu (where my new office is) to Otaki and back again. This was stage one in committing to an ebike to travel into work – I needed to check that the coast was clear and that there were no major obstacles on the route. I also wanted to get a sense of what it would be like to go there and back if my bike battery ran out, so I would know how it would be under the worst circumstances. And this is what I learnt…

Continue reading “Is the coast clear? Ebiking from Otaki to Paraparaumu Beach for work”

Fuel savings calculator – how much do you save by travelling to work on an ebike?

I’ve finally figured out how to create calculators on this blog – so here is my first calculator, hopefully first of many! Just a simple way to roughly calculate the amount of money you save in fuel by transiting to work on an ebike.
Continue reading “Fuel savings calculator – how much do you save by travelling to work on an ebike?”

What’s the ROI for an ebike?

I got in the habit of riding my bike to work every day while visiting my mum up in the Coromandel and I’m finding it a rather hard habit to shake. The problem is, now my work is 25 km away instead of 5 km away. Could an ebike help with this situation?

Continue reading “What’s the ROI for an ebike?”

Excuse me, but why does anybody need solar power batteries?

Today I intend to lay out a system that works well in harnessing the power of the sun, without the need for any costly solar power batteries.
Continue reading “Excuse me, but why does anybody need solar power batteries?”

Energy Transfers In The Commercial Kitchen

For the past few months, while I’ve supported my mother through a sickness, I’ve been working as a prep chef in a busy commercial cafe in a coastal town. My main observation has been of how energy transfers within a commercial kitchen. It is one of those things that I’m sure no one else would find remotely interesting, but that fascinates me intensely. In a busy commercial kitchen, not a single joule is wasted. Everything is on just for long enough to deliver the desired result, and then it is shut off. A busy commercial kitchen seems to operate on a fine line between careful resource management and deft resources as the chef arranges a wide array of components in the last few seconds before the plating.

Continue reading “Energy Transfers In The Commercial Kitchen”

Geographical features that make Otaki Motel a good location for solar panels

Our solar power installation is now set up and in recent articles I’ve addressed how our solar installation is currently generating more than 50% more power than was initially forecasted based on NIWA data. The savings we’ve achieved have also been on the high side, cutting our bill down by around $93 during our first month and by around $150 during our second month. In fact, our monthly daytime consumption for last month, at 170 kWh, was the lowest number we have ever consumed during any month in recent memory.

Continue reading “Geographical features that make Otaki Motel a good location for solar panels”

Solar Panels on an Overcast Day vs Solar Panels on a Sunny Day

It’s a miserable, shitty, overcast day here in Otaki, and what better way to use it than to generate some fodder for my blog. And I had hoped to put my washing out today – oh well. At least one silver lining in this is I get to get some forward intel to help me plan ahead for the winter months, to see how our energy use will be affected.

Continue reading “Solar Panels on an Overcast Day vs Solar Panels on a Sunny Day”

My brother, the secret electricity hog

One of the unexpected side advantages of solar power is it gives you the opportunity to keep a careful watch on your whole family’s energy consumption. At least insofar as it makes their energy consumption habits a bit more conspicuous.

Continue reading “My brother, the secret electricity hog”

Ammeters: The First Step In Going Solar

For guys my age, solar power systems are the equivalent of a model train set. We know we’re too old for this shit, but we can kind of get away with it, because it helps the household save money and it’s also in the interests of the environment. Here’s why ammeters are a critical piece of the puzzle.

Continue reading “Ammeters: The First Step In Going Solar”