Overview

The PPL Energy Matters initiative wants to reduce the amount of non-renewable energy consumed in Lyttelton. This will lower our energy bills, lessen our contribution to climate change and could potentially reduce our dependence on centralised energy supplies.

A blog has been set up as a means of tracking the progress of the Energy Matters initiative and encouraging contributions.

Energy Matters Forum 2008

Listed below are the summaries from the Forum. Choose from pdf, document or jpeg image.

The problem

As highlighted recently by Al Gore’s movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and the Stern Review, climate change is a reality. To reverse this change, everyone needs to play their part and right now would be a good time to start.

We are already subject to fluctuating oil prices and availability, and this is only going to get worse. As we approach the point at which we have used 50% of the world's oil reserves (Peak Oil), future extraction will become harder and more expensive. Sources of natural energy such as the wind and the sun will be readily available long after the world’s oil reserves are depleted, and they are free!

In June 2006 power blackouts in both the North and South Island demonstrated our dependence on and the fragility of a centralised energy supply. Wouldn’t it be good to generate power closer to home?

Why work together?

By working together on this issue we can share ideas, knowledge and experience and inspire one another. In this way the project will quickly build momentum and we can start making a difference.

As a community-based project we can seek advice from the experts, support from local businesses and funding from government bodies and charitable trusts.

Areas of interest

Ways of improving our energy efficiency include: selecting the most energy efficient appliances and light bulbs; housing retrofits to achieve better use of the sun and less heat loss; local generation of energy from the wind and the sun; changing the way we travel. The results of the questionnaire will help us decide which of these and other areas are of most relevance to the community.

The first steps

The Warm Wall. The living space above the Harbour Lights Theatre has already been selected for a demonstration of warm wall technology. A simple passive construction has been fixed to the outside of the North-Facing wall of the Harbour Lights building. This construction will generate super-heated air from the warmth of the sun and duct it into the building.

More information about the warm wall can be read on our Blog.

Submission to Council

Project Port Lyttelton held a brain-storm to highlight the areas of interest in promoting a sound energy strategy for Lyttelton. The focus was to prepare an Energy Statergy Submission for CCC