Big boost for New Zealand energy savings

PRESS RELEASE 12/05/2009

Big boost for New Zealand energy savings
 
A New Zealand-designed commercial light fixture, which results in power savings of over 40%, is set to make a big impact on New Zealand energy consumption, thanks to the development of an off-the-shelf model that has attracted support from the Electricity Commission.

The award winning energy efficient High Five fixture has, until now, only been available for one-off projects, mainly for owners or occupiers of warehouses, distribution centres and manufacturing plants.

With the launch of the new off-the-shelf model, High Five aims to reduce energy consumption by New Zealand businesses by 11Gwh per annum, that’s enough to power more than 1300 New Zealand homes for a year.

Not only will the High Five reduce demand on New Zealand’s energy infrastructure but also go some way to reducing the pressure for development of new generation and the inherent costs and environmental impacts that result.

High Five fixtures have been installed in over 20 projects in the last 12 months in New Zealand and 1 in Australia including the Mystery Creek events centre in Palmerston North, DHL and Fedex Christchurch depots, Foodstuffs distribution centres in Christchurch and Palmerston North and Hydraulink in Pukekohe, winner of the Illumination Engineering Society (IES) energy efficiency award. These customers are already reaping the rewards of lower energy costs through efficient lighting.

James Duder from Sustainable Lighting Solutions, the company charged with marketing and educating the industry on High Five said that the benefits and potential of the High Five are huge.

“The building occupier can save thousands of dollars while improving the working environment Also, the lights can be switched on and off whenever the user likes, unlike current high bay light sources.

“While High Five still costs slightly more than competing inefficient fixtures, the energy savings possible with High Five would mean a payback of the difference in less than six months for warehouse owners, who then continue to save money for years to come,” he said.

Three years in development, the High Five Luminaire fixture has received a highly commended award at the IES design awards.

The Electricity Commission said that it recognised the power saving capabilities of High Five fixtures and that granting a subsidy would accelerate the uptake by businesses by reducing the up front cost barriers. High Five is designed and manufactured in Christchurch by Energylight Ltd a New Zealand owned company and they are a certified buy New Zealand made product. An increase in demand for High Five through the programme has created additional employment in the region.

R Redpath Ltd of Christchurch partnered with Energylight Ltd in late 2008 to make a proposal to the Electricity Commission and both organisations are an example of how two New Zealand owned companies, can work in partnership using their specific expertise to bring an energy efficient, revolutionary product to the market.

ends

© Scoop Media