Electric heat pump has cut its energy use by 61%

(A fantastic article published in the NZ Herald This week)

By Jamie Gray

Joanne Hurley, Van Lier Nurseries’ chief operating officer.

An Auckland plant nursery says ditching its gas-fired boiler – as part of a pilot scheme – for an electric heat pump has cut its energy use by 61%.

Van Lier Nurseries, which grows plants and flowers at Riverhead, says it has used a one-megawatt (MW) low-emission heat pump for the past year to grow its range of plants and roses.

The nursery’s glass house was previously kept warm with a gas-fired boiler.

The reduction in energy use, equating to 9295 gigajoules, meant its carbon emissions dropped by 88%, or 773 tonnes.

The timing of the pilot meant Van Lier Nurseries avoided the very high gas prices seen early this winter, which were caused by declining gas supply.

Van Lier Nurseries chief operating officer Joanne Hurley said the conversion meant the nursery had access to sustainable heating to produce blooms – at a temperature of 16C – over the last 12 months.

Genesis provided the design integration, procurement and project management for the heat pump’s installation, while the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (EECA) and NZ Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) helped fund the conversion.

Click here to read the full article: Auckland plant nursery goes electric in pilot scheme – NZ Herald