Getting biodiesel into vehicles in Queenstown and using wood to help clean clothes in Southland could win a sought-after energy efficiency award.
Otago Polytechnic's Centre for Sustainable Practice and Invercargill-based McCallum's Group are finalists in the 2010 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority Awards.
The polytechnic is nominated in the renewable energy, transport and community sections for its work setting up the Queenstown Lakes Biodiesel Consortium, which secured a 20% biodiesel blend supplier and a dedicated biodiesel depot to promote the use of the fuel in the region.
McCallum's Group is nominated in the small to medium enterprise business section, for switching to wood energy in 2008 to supply its steam and hot water in a project that should have a simple payback of two years and offset the emission of about 1450 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Other finalists include Fonterra, for improving energy efficiency across 30 sites, and NZSki Ltd, for snow-making efficiencies at Mount Hutt.
The winners will be announced on November 25.
