Why It’s Important to Calculate Your Own Power Consumption Before Buying Solar Power

In a past article I talked about how the main environmental benefit of installing solar power systems in New Zealand is that it reduces demand on the grid during periods of peak consumption. This time I’m going to look at the flip side of that equation – if you want to receive the maximum economic benefit from your solar power installation, you need to begin with a clear understanding of your own home or business actually uses power.

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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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10 Critical Factors to Consider When Investing in Forestry in New Zealand

Approximately 80% of NZ forestry grown for commercial use is managed by large scale commercial operations. The remainder is managed by an estimated ten to fourteen thousand individual growers. Individual growers are some of the more exposed parties in forestry, as they lack some of the information that can help them to mitigate their risks and avoid the common pitfalls associated with forestry investments.

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