Energy mad
The name says it all. This young Christchurch-based company is energy mad – and determined to save electricity, consumer dollars, and defer expensive investment in electricity infrastructure. Their first initiative is a runaway success and has been touted as the largest single energy-saving project of any sort ever staged in New Zealand. Letticia Dodson gets the low-down on Energy Mad's bright idea.
The theory is simple: compact fluorescent light bulbs (Cfls) use less electricity. If New Zealand householders could all be persuaded to install a few we'd lower our peak electricity demand and reduce pressure on transmission lines; our overall demand would fall, allowing us to defer investment in new generation options; and we'd all save some money.
Until recently, however, New Zealand householders haven't been convinced. And it's little wonder. Compared to standard incandescent bulbs, Cfls were expensive; they'd break or "blow" often; were annoyingly slow to light up; weren't as bright as "normal" bulbs once they did – and they were ugly!
But with a whole lot of entrepreneurial energy and a good dose of innovation, engineers Tom Mackenzie and Chris Mardon GIPENZ have come up with a solution – a bright and aesthetically-pleasing Cfl, and a novel way of introducing it at a competitive price.
This case study is reproduced with permission from e.nz magazine. Subscriptions to e.nz are discounted for schools and TENZ members.
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