McKay partners with Empower Energy to help provide energy equity for Low-Income Households.

As one of the leading renewable energy service providers in New Zealand, we at McKay are proud to have taken an inspiring step towards energy equity and sustainability by partnering with non-profit organization Empower Energy.

Lauren Faithfull, Manager Renewables, has proudly announced this morning that our Whāngarei head office will be donating surplus solar energy to Empower Energy. This surplus energy will be sold, and the income donated to households suffering from energy hardship, providing them with much-needed energy and financial assistance.

Empower Energy Charitable Trust uses an energy sharing program that works on the concept of converting surplus solar energy donations into cash donations, which are then distributed to low-income households. This helps to reduce the financial burden on these households and improve their overall quality of life, while also reducing reliance on fossil fuels.

With Energy hardship being such a prevalent issue in New Zealand, affecting not just those who lack access to electricity but also those who have access but no means of payment, winter often poses a significant challenge. With affected households often needing to make difficult choices between paying for food, medicine, or other essentials. Empower Energy’s unique program seeks to provide financial relief to these households, with a goal of delivering energy donations to 15,000 households this year, and 40,000 next year.

As McKay joins other New Zealand organizations in committing to regular donations of surplus solar energy, in support of Empower Energy’s goals, Lauren Faithfull comments:

“We are excited to be partnering with Empower Energy to help alleviate energy hardship in NZ. We have a 30kW array on our head office and had been looking for a way to share our excess solar energy, Empowers innovative approach and simple platform suited us well. We are delighted to be working with a New Zealand start-up and encourage our industry to get on board and support their mission”.