Community Energy Links

These include:

Canterbury

• Community Energy Action – CEA  is a charitable trust (part of the Energy Efficiency Community Network), that provides services and information on energy efficiency. Subsidies are available to homeowners of older homes (pre-1977), community service card holders, landlords of low prices rentals, low-income elderly persons with health problems and low-income families with babies under one year old. See also Home Space Heating Links
• Project Port Lyttelton  The Community Initiative Energy Matters aims at reducing the amount of non-renewable energy consumed in Lyttelton.
• Lincoln EnviroTown Trust  is a charitable trust dedicated to fostering a community owned process for sustainability in Lincoln.
• Sustainable Christchurch Otautahi  aims to actively contribute within Otautahi Christchurch towards opportunities and means of achievement of long term sustainability.
• Sustainable Living  – Christchurch based nation-wide programme to provide information about achieving a sustainable lifestyle in practical ways.

Other

South Island

• Sustainable Wanaka 
• Hampden Community Energy (Contact: Dugald McTavish)
• Sustainable Dunedin City 
• South Coast Environment Society  (Riverton) Karamea Sustainable Living (Contact: Elisabeth Albers)
• Nelson Region ‘energy descent’ groups (Contact: Carolyn Hughes – Motueka; Janet Whittington – Nelson; Joanna – Golden Bay)
• ASPO NZ  – Association for Peak Oil and Gas (Nelson based)North IslandSustainability Trust (Newtown, Wellington)
• Porirua Energy Trust  (Contact: Phil Squire)
• EcoMatters Environment Trust  (Waitakere City)
• Huntly Energy Efficiency Trust  (HEET)Sustainable Wairarapa (website under development)
• Environmental Defence Society  (Auckland)

From ideas developed in the UK,  Carbon Reduction Action Groups (CRAGs) are citizen-initiated voluntary groups that allow members to make a personal contribution to reducing climate changing emissions by deciding on means to account for their own emissions and by promoting a carbon reducing lifestyle. The Auckland-based Climate Defence Network provides further information on NZ-based CRAGs. 

Further afield

• Moreland Energy Foundation  (MEFL) in Melbourne
• The Green Pages Australia  have a comprehensive listing of sustainability related community groupsVision Estate housing subdivision (Glenfield, NSW) - Australia’s first residential district (local) energy system (see article in EcoGeneration, March/April 2007. pgs 28/29)
• “Kinsale 2021 – Energy Descent Action Plan”  - a document which details the proposed transition of Kinsale, Irish Republic, from a high to a low energy consumption town.

Related Links

• Local generation website  from MainPower (Rangiora-based)
• CAENZ  (Christchurch-based NZ Centre for Advanced Engineering) is highly active in the fields of distributed generation and infrastructure resilience 
• IRL (Industrial Research Ltd)  distributed energy systems
• Energy³  - a Christchurch-based company currently piloting a distributed wind energy project in Southbridge
• The Canterbury Regional Energy Forum (CREF) (of which ECan is a member) is taking a new approach to energy planning which focuses on creating local opportunities and delivering an overall improved energy system. Download the outcomes of the first stage of the Forum’s work here. LINK TO 1-PG EXEC SUMMARY
• “Distributed Generation – A Study of Opportunities”, a report by CAENZ, CAE comments 02 (2003)“Get Smart, Think Small: Local Energy Systems for New Zealand”, a report (Dec 06) by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment – http://www.pce.govt.nz/ 
• “Wind Power, People and Place”, a report (Nov 06) by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment – http://www.pce.govt.nz/