1266 days ago

Solar power is coming to Northland

Oliver Neighbourly Lead from One Tree Point

Lodestone Energy is planning to build five solar power farms, two of which will be located in Northland. Both Stuff and RNZ have published articles about this.
The first to go online will be in Kaitaia, with construction beginning later this year and completion in 2022, and provide 62GWh annually. Together with the upgraded and expanded geothermal generation at Ngawha, this will provide more energy than the Far North needs and hopefully bring power prices down in that region, which are among the highest in the country. Any excess energy generated will benefit the rest of Northland, and once another solar farm at Dargaville has been added by the end of 2023, much of Northland will be on 100% renewable and locally produced electricity.
Let's get ready for this and support this development with getting off fossil fuels and switching to electricity over the next two to three years. Need a small car that takes us to town and back, or to commute to work, or drive the kids around? Get a used electric vehicle. Still heating the home with wood fire like in the 1800s? Get a heat pump with its three times higher heating efficiency. Gas stove getting old and needing replacement? Switch to an induction cooktop. Want to become part of the renewable electricity grid? Pop rooftop solar on, and a storage battery in the garage or shed. There are so many ways to electrify and increase our energy efficiency, and Gen Less has all the resources we need to learn about it. Also, there's no need for knee-jerk action or panic - we can do all this when opportunities present themselves, like special offers, subsidies, rental and subscription programs with no capital required, or just a great bargain. This decade will bring a lot of progress and changes in the home energy space. Just let's be open-minded, keep our eyes and ears open, tell each other about it, and take action when we can.

More messages from your neighbours
18 minutes ago

On the range

Resene

Venetian plaster finishes are on-trend at the moment, so why not recreate this look at home and cover that unsightly rangehood at the same time?

Find out how to create your own with Resene Sandtex and these easy step by step instructions.
Find out more

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18 minutes ago

Riddle Time! Sharpen Your Mind and Take the Challenge!

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

Where is the only place where today comes before yesterday?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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1 day ago

Poll: Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

In October, the fine for parking in a designated mobility car park without a permit has jumped from $150 to $750—a 400% increase!

The goal is to keep these spaces open for those who truly need them. Do you think this big increase in the fine is fair? Share your thoughts below.

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Is the increase in disability parking fines fair?
  • 89.2% Yes, it's fair
    89.2% Complete
  • 9.9% No, it's unreasonable
    9.9% Complete
  • 0.9% Other - I'll share below
    0.9% Complete
1709 votes