Research and reports

The following findings are part of EECA’s quarterly consumer research that tracks the nation’s views on energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Wood used for energy does not fit well with a payment system that works using non-energy (eg. volume or weight).  The energy content of wood is closely related to moisture content, and this can vary substantially, depending on the origin and storage history of the material.  This study looks to determine the effects of moving from a weight-based payment system to a specific energy-content-based payment system at a large industrial site, using woody biomass as a fuel source on a large scale.

Blue Mountain Lumber is a sawmill located in Southland, New Zealand. The sawmill was expanded in 2000 to enable the processing of approximately 160,000 tonnes sawlogs annually. Prior to expansion the sawmill operated with several small wood residue fuelled boilers that were at the end of their economic life. The site was dumping significant quantities of woodwaste into a local landfill.  As part of the expansion an energy facility was built to provide improved steam quality and capacity for increased steam loads.

This document sets out, and seeks your feedback on, draft proposals for new Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and labelling for televisions.