Case studies

‘Biogas' - gas produced during the breakdown of organic matter - can be harnessed and used to provide heat, electricity and transport fuel. Biogas schemes help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and deal more effectively with effluent disposal on farms. This guide to biogas schemes is aimed at a farming audience, and includes practical examples.

Switching from LPG and light fuel oil to wood chip-fired boilers helped Southland drycleaners McCallums Group cut fuel costs by two thirds.

The change also insulated them from energy market volatility that was creating major problems with keeping contracts profitable.

Read the case study below for full details.

Owned and operated by Kapiti Coast District Council, the Waste Water Treatment plant in Paraparaumu was spending around $575,000 a year on diesel to power the boiler integral to the sludge drying process.

Converting to a wood fueled boiler resulted in savings of $309,000 per year.

Read the case study below to find out more.

Tegel Foods has installed a heat exchanger which is expected to save the company more than $100,000 a year.

With just two years payback, Tegel foods is also expected to save 628 tonnes of CO2 a year.

The plant needs considerable refrigeration and uses a lot of hot water, making it an ideal candidate for a heat recovery system. Refrigeration creates waste energy in the form of heat, while heating large quantities of hot water requires a lot of energy.