Here are the Presentation Abstracts for each day of the Conference
Tuesday 27 May
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Morning Strand: Energy Efficiency Policy - Global and Local Perspectives
Dr Nigel Jollands, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
If NZ is not aggressive in its promotion of energy efficiency it risks further diminishing its relative competitiveness in the international market. The imperative to increase energy efficiency is now a driving force in many parts of the world, from the usual suspects like the EU to some surprising places – like Kazakhstan and Turkey. Dr Jollands’ presentation will draw on his experience of working on energy efficiency policy and finance for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He will outline current trends in EU energy efficiency policies and finance and the surprising rise in energy efficiency action in countries like Kazakhstan, Turkey and Russia. His presentation will also unravel how the EBRD bridged the ‘energy efficiency to finance gap’ to now lend around EUR2 billion per year for energy efficiency in some of the most difficult countries in the world. And what does all this mean for NZ?
Monica Barone, City of Sydney
Since 2007 the City of Sydney has worked to achieve the ambitious targets within its long term vision - Sustainable Sydney 2030. The City of Sydney targets apply to the city administration as well as the wider city itself. In this presentation Monica Barone, the city’s CEO, will outline the range of energy efficiency and ‘green infrastructure’ programmes designed and implemented by the City of Sydney. Monica will explain the process of community engagement that led to the long term vision and the ongoing engagement required to implement what are largely voluntary programmes. Monica will refer to the important association with the C40, the international network of cities that the City of Sydney is an active member of, as well as the work of the Green Building Council. Monica will focus on the achievements of the Better Building Partnership and City Switch – two City of Sydney programmes that work directly with building owners and tenants. Monica will also refer to some of the challenges the City of Sydney has encountered largely due to the changing priorities of the other levels of government.
John Carnegie, Business New Zealand
Having emerged from the effects of the global financial crisis and the initial implications of the Christchurch earthquakes, the economy is now performing strongly across a wide range of economic indicators. But is this just a matter of normal service having resumed? John will discuss the early evidence that new business trends seem to be emerging which could signal a transformation in the way business operates. Is there a new ‘normal’ and if there is, what might it all mean if anything for the energy sector and energy efficiency and management more specifically? Is it a durable change or just a short‑term break before a return to the long-run pattern? John will draw on the work of the World Energy Council and its assessment of New Zealand’s performance in achieving well-balanced energy policies (the ‘Energy Trilemma’). Afternoon Strand: Shifting Power to the Consumer
Gary Nalder, Westpac
Gary will provide a brief overview of Westpac's objectives in lending and facilitating investment in the clean technology and environmental services sector in New Zealand. A focus of his presentation will be on Westpac's energy efficient funding solutions designed to help remove some of the existing barriers that prevent energy efficiency projects from proceeding. Gary will talk about how Westpac's products and a more stratgeic approach working with EMANZ and EECA will helop generate more opportunities for the sector and help reduce the decision-making timeframes.
Sam Burke, Victorian Government
Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) has been utilised around the world for over 20 years, and is considered by many to be the most effective way to deliver energy efficiency retrofits to existing buildings. Sam will describe how EPC has been used in Australia, primarily by the Victorian Government. He will explain the investment criteria, the procurement process, funding options, and how to establish a contract. He will also focus on measurement and verification, including some tips on how to do it successfully.
Dr Paul Bannister, Exergy
Over the past 15 years Energy Performance Contracts have frequently been cited as a key mechanism for increasing uptake of energy efficiency works. The theory looks great - no capital up front, risks carried by the contractor, and guaranteed outcomes. So why have EPCs not become the standard method of delivery in New Zealand while they have become so central to the US market? In this presentation, Dr Bannister will dissect the EPC concept in order to identify the key strengths and weaknesses - as well as the leading myths - of EPCs covering: 1. EPC procurement: Fair process, or something for nothing? 2. EPCs as a finance mechanism: Is financing fundamental to EPCs? If not, what role does the EPC play? 3. Risk aversion and management in EPCs. If EPCs are so effective as a risk transfer mechanism, why are clients so scared of them? 4. Relationships in EPCs: Do EPCs start a long and fruitful relationship - or merely a grudging, shotgun marriage? 5. EPC players: Who uses EPCs and what are their motivations? 6. What future does the EPC market have in New Zealand? This provocative talk will raise as many questions as answers but is intended to stimulate new thoughts about how New Zealand can benefit from the EPC methodology.
Quintin Tahau, Transpower
Transpower is currently leading the development of demand response (DR) in New Zealand through the implementation of a DR technology platform on which products can be developed, and programmes established. Transpower’s demand side initiative is seeking to develop and maintain demand response capability that can be used as a transmission alternative to transmission investment. In 2013 Transpower ran a commercial demand response programme which sought to achieve the following objectives:
We aimed to have 100MW of DR registered for the programme by June 2013. The programme was largely successful, however to fully realise the goal of using DR as a non-transmission solution we need to explore further growth by enabling more consumer segments, such as light commercial, industrial and residential. This presentation will discuss the outcomes of the programme, including the performance of the various DR providers and progress against the longer term objectives. We will also discuss the next steps in the evolution of DR as a non-transmission solution.
Mac McIntyre, Counties Power and Craig Hackett, Metrix
Counties Power is renewing their metering stock with a smart metering solution. Key drivers were improved network infrastructure performance and provision of high levels of service value to the Retailers. This resulted in the formation of a collaborative partnership with Metrix. Both businesses see this smart metering programme as an innovation enabler for both retail and network services. As such robust platform management and stakeholder engagement is key and remains a core focus for the partnership. Early indicators suggest successful implementation of the Silver Spring Networks and Landis + Gyr technology. This presentation provides a high level progress update of the smart mesh rollout and the experiences of both companies working in partnership.
Priyani de Silva-Currie, Opus and Keith Clark, EECA
So what is the ‘new black’ in great outcomes for public works? When working in new territory most think of instant information, do more for less and twitter-like client discussions. It’s not surprising that the message for greater outcomes struggles against the noise. Our inspiring experience suggests that it is true relationships enriched with shared values and purpose that reveal the ‘new black’ in attaining greater public works outcomes. Ahead of time and within budget stakeholders expected delivery of 225,000 warmer, drier, healthier homes by 30 June 2013. The Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme (the programme) has exceeded stakeholders expectations. The programme has high visibility and continues to earn the trust of stakeholders. This paper explores the relatively unheralded story of an extremely successful, award winning client relationship of Priyani and Keith while delivering the programme’s quality and audit regime. These are two ‘allies’ working within nimble and agile organisations, together seeking to attain the ‘best for both’. We’ll demonstrate how we transformed an agreement into shared values, openness, fun, vulnerability, mateship and more besides. We’ll explore how the programmes mission drove our organisational cultures to achieve, and the evolution that occurs when ‘nothings a problem’ and ‘can-do’ infects culture. Our aim is to allow you to laugh, share and reflect on an incredible journey that’s sure to enrich and refresh your mind. And while we’re at it … remind you of our greatest tool for attaining great outcomes in a new territory; our relationships … surely it’s the new black! |
Wednesday 28 May
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Morning Strand: New Ways to Power the Consumer
Ari Sargent, Powershop
Powershop was and remains the only electricity retailer to recognise that they have a customer experience; an experience they obsess about and jealously protect. In an industry shrouded in complexity and confusion Powershop has sought to disrupt and demystify the world of crusty utilities and created a shop for power that creates an experience as simple and familiar as buying milk. Ari discusses his learnings at Powershop and the transformational change in customers' attitude to electricity that simplification can bring.
Calum Revfem, Envirostate
Energy use in buildings accounts for about 40% of global energy use, meaning that significant shifts in building energy use will have tangible impacts in addressing core sustainability challenges such as climate change and resource depletion. It is already possible to build net zero energy commercial buildings and the Living Building Challenge programme has certified numerous working examples, including New Zealand’s first net zero energy building – the new Tuhoe headquarters. We know that fresh thinking is required in how we account for the economic values of investing in such buildings, but how do we account for and communicate the tangible social and environmental benefits that energy efficient building provide? In this presentation Calum Revfem, from Envirostate, will outline the pivotal role energy managers play in the integrated design process and the opportunity they have to link building operations, building user's experience and measuring and communicating the building's value to stakeholders. Communicating sustainability values gets to the very core of behaviour change and shifts in attitudes – it also communicates the values of an organisation.
Russell Watson and Kashani Sharma, Northpower
Electric Vehicles (EVs) have been touted as eco-friendly vehicles and are being promoted worldwide in response to environmental concerns like climate change and global warming. Key advantages include low emissions and decreasing dependence on petroleum. However their main disadvantage is the short driving range as a result of limited capacity of their batteries. Therefore the market for these vehicles is currently limited. Lack of public charging infrastructure and high initial cost of the vehicle are other impediments to its popularity. With more than 70% of electricity generated from renewable resources, EVs have more benefit employed in New Zealand than many other countries. Northpower, a power distribution company based in Whangarei, hopes to enhance the public uptake of EVs by building charging stations throughout Northland. It is predicted that with increasing capacity of the batteries as well as increasing number of public charging facilities, the number of EV s will flourish in the country which could have a significant impact on the power grid. This presentation gives an introduction to electric vehicles, followed by a case study undertaken by the company to study its impact on a Low Voltage (LV) network for different levels of EV penetration. Besides the impact assessment, the presentation examines the performance of Northpower-owned electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV, in different terrains and presents a side by side comparison chart highlighting the characteristics of each.
Lynda Amitrano, BRANZ
The Building Energy End-use Study (BEES) was a 7-year project investigating energy and water use in commercial office and retail buildings in New Zealand. This was the first time a comprehensive nationwide study focussing on these areas had been undertaken in New Zealand. This presentation will provide an overview of the results of the BEES programme. Premises were randomly selected and included a variety of sizes and activity types. Within these monitored premises, electricity use was recorded within a variety of spaces with office and retail activities, allowing a comparison between activities, electricity attributed to end-uses and any other patterns to be examined including the differences between office, food-retail and general-retail consumption. The new knowledge created offers an insight into the stock, operation and management of New Zealand’s non-residential buildings. If one word could be used to describe the new knowledge from this research it would be ‘diverse’. BEES has provided key baseline information for New Zealand’s non-residential buildings into the future, and will be useful for identifying where businesses are best to focus their efforts in reducing energy use.
Dr Ann Smith, Enviro-Mark Solutions
In this presentation Dr Smith introduces a new energy performance improvement programme which has been developed through a unique partnership between Enviro-Mark Solutions and EMANZ. The partnership builds on the organisations' respective strengths in programme design, training, energy management competency and third-party certification. The programme provides robust certification for companies seeking recognition for the way they manage their energy use and their performance improvement achievements. A central element of the programme is ISO 50001, the international energy management system standard with additional requirements to achieve and report energy performance improvements. The certification programme provides energy intensive companies with a roadmap for achieving continual improvement in energy efficiency and verification of energy performance improvements while maintaining competitiveness.
Richard Briggs, EECA Business
More and more businesses are becoming aware of the benefits of energy efficiency as a way to reduce costs, improve business longevity and achieve improved brand value and productivity. Yet, many businesses are still not realising these benefits due to barriers, both perceived and real, that prevent them from implementing economic energy efficiency initiatives. The energy efficiency market is complex, with many players and a lot of conflicting information. EECA Business has invested in a research project and pilot to uncover opportunities to improve the way we support both businesses and the market supporting them. EECA’s GM of Business Greg Visser will outline how EECA’s gone about this, and give a flavour of EECA’s thinking so far. Afternoon Strand: The Power of Technology
Tom Leys, GridSpy
An industrial power user noted their loads recently increased with the introduction of a high energy process. With a typical bill of $18,000/month they were interested in why their peak kVA was so high and wanted to understand the composition of this bill. With a direct lease of the GridSpy Solution we very quickly identified the power mix on site which made it obvious that the site had a high base load out-of-hours and that the new process really was consuming a lot of energy. Additionally the live 1-second data delivered to their Cloud Dash revealed that the air compressors on site were cycling incorrectly. One older 75 kW compressor was interacting pathologically with the larger 90kW compressor and was only loading for 1-second before offloading. It was observed to be idling all day at a base load of 30kW. Real-time monitoring identified this behaviour and made a business case for upgrades. As a result the air driers downstream of the compressors have been upgraded to handle the increased air flow and allowing both compressors to work correctly. Success with monitoring has encouraged the power user to examine other ways to improve efficiency and led to partnerships with EECA business partners. The benefits of true real-time monitoring and success in one area of efficiency leading to another will be discussed.
Hans Pietsch, Otago University
Back in the good old days – when light came from incandescent light bulbs, fan speed was controlled by changing a motor pulley and electric heaters had merely an on-off switch – power quality was not much of an issue. Now – with technology involving electronic ballasts, switching power supplies, uninterruptible power supply, variable speed drives and distributed generation – all of these can affect power quality. Often, more and more equipment is introduced in order to reduce the effects of power outages, for costs reduction reasons, or simply because it is a requirement of modern commercial or industrial processes. However, poor power quality causes malfunction in electrical and electronic equipment! Hans will explore the issues of power quality and present ways to mitigate the effect of poor power quality, so that these strategies can be implemented before it is too late!
Stuart Dale, Airius
Well controlled thermal destratification and air circulation offers significant energy savings in conditioned buildings. This presentation outlines the implications of a stratified space and its impact on HVAC energy efficiency. Thermal equalisation and destratification is key to reducing energy use in any building with a stud height of 2.5 - 40 metres and savings of up to 35% of HVAC energy use have been proven worldwide in a range of climates. Thermal comfort can also be improved through the use of controllable and non-turbulent air circulation or directional movement. This works by providing evaporative cooling across the body in summer and in winter it directs the heat which is trapped in the roof space to the floor where it is needed.
Sam Roose, Enercon/LineTech Consulting
Design reviews are a means of improving the energy efficiency and thermal performance of new building designs and retrofits. Potential barriers to the uptake of a design review include consultant costs, time delays to the design process, increased liaison between members of the design team, reasonable comparison between options, and the need for accurate estimations. The design review process therefore requires careful application. This is especially relevant in Christchurch where the demand for building area can dictate the gestation time of a project and affect building energy efficiency. An appropriate “baseline” energy prediction is critical whether energy modelling is incorporated or not, as it provides a reference point from which to reliably evaluate design options. In this presentation Sam will focus on what are commonly the first two stages of the design review process (concept and detailed design reports), and the methods required to fully explore energy management opportunities at these stages. The use of energy modelling will be discussed, as well as cases where design reviews do not require energy modelling (allowing reduced cost).
Wes Nielsen, 0800 Save Energy
Investing in energy efficiency can be a daunting prospect for many businesses and their funding partners. The prospect of spending large sums of money to avoid future costs comes with a range of inherent risks. It is therefore critically important that the energy efficiency industry is able to credibly and transparently demonstrate that efficiency promises are being delivered through Measurement and Verification (M&V) activities. The International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) has been developed specifically to give the energy efficiency industry an internationally accepted framework for determining savings from all types and scales of energy efficiency initiatives. It includes a strong focus on keeping M&V activities realistic and relevant to the scale of the project, and defines clear strategies for minimising potential sources of provider/client conflicts. While the IPMVP approach is relatively new in the New Zealand context, it is in the best interests of the industry and the consumer to understand how it can be applied to remove credibility barriers for energy efficiency initiatives. As consumers increasingly demand accountability from energy efficiency providers, a demonstrated track record of fulfilled promises will become invaluable.
Robert Perry, Auckland Council
Auckland has a vision to become the world’s most liveable city. Energy resilience – securing sustained access to clean, efficient and affordable energy – and reducing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are critical to this vision. The Auckland Plan lays the foundation for Auckland’s transformation into a highly energy resilient, low carbon city through a focus on green growth. It sets a bold target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2040. A fast-growing population, climate uncertainty, scarce resources, volatile fossil fuel prices and dependence on imported energy are just some of the risks and opportunities that call for decisive action and innovation. In this presentation Robert will outline how the draft Auckland’s Energy Resilience and Low Carbon Action Plan will enable Auckland to combine growth, development and a higher quality of life with improving energy resilience and reducing GHG emissions by around 5.3 million tonnes. Low Carbon Auckland is a ‘plan for Auckland’, rather than an ‘Auckland Council plan’. Robert will highlight the approaches and key tools used to enable a broad-range of stakeholders to be actively involved, engaged and contributing to stated outcomes.
Lance Jimmieson, Jackson Engineering Advisers and Vanessa McGrath, NZGBC
In this presentation Lance and Vanessa will provide a brief introduction to NABERSNZ, discuss the growth of NABERSNZ to date, and describe how NABERSNZ relates to Energy Managers. They will outline which energy loads are included in NABERSNZ ratings, how to ensure a building is NABERSNZ ready, how NABERSNZ can be used as a tool to aid the implementation of energy audit recommendations, and finally how NABERSNZ and energy audits work together to improve building performance. |