Good news from Meridian Energy

I submitted an enquiry to Meridian energy about how difficult it is to connect a small wind turbine to the local energy network and how much it's likely to cost.

"Thank you for contacting Meridian Energy about self generation.

Meridian does purchase electricity produced from customers with small scale self generation equipment. The price we pay for the electricity you generate is the same as the price we currently charge you for your consumption, but this is subject to change just like all our rates.

The first step is to contact your local Electricity Lines company to get the details of what standards and specifications your equipment must meet in order to be connected to the local electricity network. Once you have obtained your compliant equipment, you will need Network approval from your local Lines Company to connect it to their network. Once this is obtained and you are a Meridian customer, we can arrange the metering for you.

A new Import/Export meter is required to be installed as it is not compliant with industry regulations for a meter to spin backwards. The Import/Export meter will separately measure all electricity consumed from the network and the electricity you export from your installed generation equipment.

Right House, a subsidiary company of Meridian Energy, can help with all aspects of distributed generation including as little or as much assistance as you need with generation, insulation, property design, hot water set up, lighting and heating and much more. They can even assist with the consents process (for Wind Turbines in particular) if necessary.

If you need further assistance, please feel free to email us at service@meridianenergy.co.nz or call our Contact Centre on 0800 496 496, 7.30am to 7.30pm Monday to Friday (Excluding public Holidays)

Kind Regards
{name removed}
Energy Advisor
Meridian Energy Centre"

Getting Long-Term

So Captain hasn't had a chance to relocate his career yet, but he's still got his feelers out for opportunities. We have had a bit of time to wrap our head around some practicalities of what we are after and have a lot of options with regards finance. Most of our ideas can't be firmed-up until we have more information but we can start identifying our values and learning more about the possibilities.

At the moment I have a book out from the library on small wind turbines, and I am looking at how micro-hydro (water turbines) and PV (photo-voltaic / solar) systems could be integrated to make the most of our resources and meet our power needs.

Hopefully once we know more about the practicalities of construction, crop cultivation, animal husbandry, power generation and use, and water treatment, we will know whether or not any property we look at will be a wise move, or just a liability.

Our Journey: In the Beginning

It's Christchurch, October, 2010. We know nothing. Stephen has just turned 9 months and is starting to walk. Captain has grown weary of Christchurch, a fact that has been shaken home by the incessant earthquakes that have bothered us and jostled us since the morning of September 4th. Housing in Christchurch is un-insurable.

October 29th, we get a visit from Captain's father, with whom we haven't spoken in about 5 years. He shares opinions with Captain about the generally dismal state of the world economy and environment. They often quibble on the semantics but both agree that things look pretty bad for the future of the world as we know it... but they are both curiously excited to be living in "interesting times". John expresses interest in building an "Earthship": an environmentally sustainable home made from reclaimed tyres and natural materials.

Now we're not really hippies; scientists maybe, family minded, pragmatists at times, survivalists perhaps, a little socially isolated, and certainly people who indulge in too many video games and have a penchant for apocalyptic science fiction. As a depressive "recovering" goth I had often had fantasies of running off to the wilds and building my own house somewhere. I liked the idea of something that we could build with our own physical labour. Having always been tight with money (or at least below the poverty line for most of my adult life), the idea of building a house without spending loads of cash was also appealing.

Captain has applied for jobs in Taumarunui and now Taihape. If he doesn't get one of them we will keep looking for positions in the North Island where we can be closer to the extended family.

Now all we need to do is figure out, how, where... and ultimately, when.