When Jacinda Ardern called climate change "my generation's nuclear-free moment", it suggested that she recognised that the problem was urgent and that her government would be doing everything it could to fight it. Since then we've seen a cowardly, deceitful backdown on the offshore oil ban, and now we find out that they didn't even bother investigating solar power for kiwibuild homes:
Housing Minister Phil Twyford didn't consider installing solar panels in Kiwibuild homes.
Documents released under the Official Information Act show Mr Twyford received no advice in relation to solar power and the 100,000 affordable homes the Government wants to build through the Kiwibuild programme.
Mr Twyford told Newshub it's too expensive at the moment. He says it could've added $15,000 in price to each home.
"Until the cost of domestic solar comes down, I don't think it's going to be practical financially to put them on Kiwibuild homes."
According to My Solar Quotes New Zealand, the average price to install solar power is $9000.
...and it pays itself back while you live there, and will be even cheaper with mass installations.
KiwiBuild is a massive opportunity to significantly upgrade our housing stock, and raise housing standards. But its also a massive opportunity to drive the shift to decentralised, renewable generation we desperately need to make to reduce electricity emissions and enable the shift to electric vehicles. Twyford's penny-pinching is squandering that opportunity. And its another sign that Labour isn't taking climate change seriously, and that all Ardern's fine words are just more hot air from uncaring, institutionally compromised politicians.
