McKay’s Sustainability Journey

McKay has been taking steps towards a more sustainable workplace, with solar panels now installed and operating at the Whangarei HQ and the completion of a conversion of end of line company vehicle into a fully electric ute.

Recently McKay worked with Solartive to install a 30KW rooftop solar array at McKay’s headquarters in Whangarei, Northland. Solartive, a Northland based solar specialist installed the solar panels, while McKay’s talented solar engineers provided the design and equipment selection.

McKay’s headquarters have been based out of Whangarei since 1982, making the installation a great milestone for the business’s 40th year of operation from the Water Street site. The office building (designed and built by Joe Faithfull) is north facing with a 30-degree pitch roof, providing the optimal installation angle for solar panels at Northland latitudes.

The new installation of solar panels allows McKay’s head office to offset approximately 60% of its weekday office needs and EV charging requirements. On the weekends, the system exports the energy generated back to the electricity grid.

Although the 30kW rooftop solar project is smaller than we normally work on, the McKay Renewables team provided the rooftop design, and ensured the components are all of the high quality we expect from McKay projects. We love seeing the direct impact the system is having on our energy usage, and the engagement of our staff with renewable energy, says Lauren Faithfull, McKay’s Renewables Manager.

Another recent sustainability initiative at McKay has been the development of a fully electric ute. McKay has long been a proponent of the use of electric vehicles in NZ, however with no commercially available electric ute options, McKay took the initiative and started a project to develop a fully electric ute from an end-of-life diesel company vehicle. With a focus on sustainability and reducing land-fill waste, the electric ute was developed utilizing as much of the ute’s existing shell and drivetrain as possible, as well as re-used materials from other vehicles, including the drive system from a damaged Nissan Leaf. The project was co-funded by the Government’s Low Emissions Transport Fund, administered by EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority).

The project has built capability in electric vehicle development and shows off some of the world class electrotechnology solutions which can be delivered within New Zealand. The ute is now road legal and is being used as a pool vehicle in McKay’s electric fleet in Whangarei.