Case studies

Fishing goes back to the future

Switching from trawling to anchor seining has cut Motueka skipper Ken Franks' fuel bill by more than half.

Since converting his 15m boat the FV Vanguard from a trawler to an anchor seiner in 2008 his catches sizes have increased too, and the quality of the fish is better. That means higher profit margins for Mr Franks at a time when rising fuel prices are forcing others in the industry to think about tying their boats up.

Mr Franks is now encouraging other trawler skippers to do the same.

At Kopua Holiday Park in Raglan they can't always guarantee that the surf is up, but they can offer the sun on tap. That's because they've installed a large scale solar water heating system on their main kitchen and ablution block that delivers plenty of hot water when it's needed.

By reducing their electricity needs and installing two small wind turbines, owners of this Canterbury tourist lodge have eliminated their power bill - and they're getting paid for the excess electricity they generate.

Energy is one of the largest costs in the aggregate and quarrying sector. The Aggregate and Quarry Association’s Best Practice Energy Programme has been set up to assist operators with practical ways to reduce energy costs and improve process efficiency.

Download this case study to find out how improving the efficiency of pumping systems has saved some operators thousands of dollars.