New Zealand Celsias

Meridian Energy will offer its customers access to  solar hot water technologies to help households make smart choices that save energy and money.

Meridian is working in partnership with  solar hot water company SolarCity, on a solar programme that will help its customers substantially reduce their electricity bills, while also helping the country reduce its carbon emissions.

Solar hot water technology is one way we can help empower our customers to take control of their own energy use, says Bill Highet, Meridian’s General Manager Retail.

“We know lots of our customers want to make savings and want solutions that are kind on the environment. With this solar opportunity our goal is to reduce our customers’ average residential energy bill by around 22%,” says Bill.

Targeting solar technology makes sense because a standard solar water heating system can produce on average up to 75% of a household’s water heating, (Source, BRANZ report number 188, Performance of Solar Water Heaters in NZ, 2008).

Andrew Booth, CEO of SolarCity says that working with Meridian helps reach the goal of making solar energy more accessible for New Zealanders.

“We are proud to partner with Meridian, and to work together to make solar more affordable for all Kiwis,” Booth says. “As our communities face tighter budgets, this is an opportunity for people to make real savings, while using the sun’s renewable energy to make a positive difference in the fight to stop climate change.”

Energy Efficiency Conservation Authority Chief Executive Mike Underhill welcomes this partnership and says that this approach is another important step in the uptake of renewable water heating technologies.

“Consumers place a very low value on ongoing energy costs compared with the up-front capital costs,” Underhill says. “This represents a considerable barrier for solar water heating technologies. Smart partnerships that make renewable energy options more affordable are an important part of the solution to increasing uptake of solar water heating.”

Christchurch and Auckland Meridian customers will be some of the first to benefit from the company’s first ever solar programme, with a long-term plan to extend the offer to Meridian customers nationwide.

More details on the offer will be available at the beginning of August and customers can find out more, or register their interest, by visiting www.meridan.co.nz/solar.

Can we expect some more green initiatives from Meridian? They were leaders for a while, but have been extremely quiet on this front lately and almost seem to have disbanded both the image and the energy around it .