The idea of an electric home might conjure images of striking modern architecture covered in expensive solar panels, but that is not the case for Mr Marasti’s house.
‘‘We want to make the point that everyone can benefit from electrification,’’ Mr Marasti said.
‘‘My house is a spec house that was built in 1999.
‘‘It’s not fancy house and it’s not efficient.
‘‘Even so, we haven’t paid for energy in almost six years since we got our solar system,’’ he said.
Mr Marasti’s electric setup involves a roof covered in 36 solar panels and a battery to store energy they generate.
In addition to solar panels, Mr Marasti has an electric vehicle, charged at home using the power generated by solar.
With this set up, Mr Marasti said he had managed to almost completely eradicate his household spending on energy.
For most of the year, Mr Marasti’s energy — including the electricity that fuels his vehicle — came directly from his solar panels, or from solar energy stored in his battery.
In the winter, when solar power could not sustain household energy consumption, the cost of the power he draws from the grid is covered by credits generated by exporting electricity back to the grid throughout the rest of the year.
‘‘The only time we pay for energy is when we do a long trip with the car and we have to pay for public charging.’’
Mr Marasti is the secretary of Electrify Wānaka, a community group which seeks to promote the economic, social, health and environmental benefits of ‘‘electrification’’ — swapping technologies powered by fossil fuels with electric-powered alternatives — for the town.
Electrification had broad benefits, Mr Marasti said, but the open home this weekend would focus on the immediate concerns of the public that can be alleviated by electrification.
‘‘We’d been planning to do some open homes for a while, but now was the right time’’ Mr Marasti said.
‘‘We are going to be really focused on the cost of living and on energy security during the tour, because that’s what’s really on people’s minds at the moment.’’
He was aware that the perceived cost of solar panels was a barrier to adoption, but believed the benefits were well worth the cost, particularly in relation to other building costs.
‘‘When it comes to reducing household energy costs, installing a solar system is much cheaper than doing a large renovation and it pays for itself very fast,’’ Mr Marasti said.
In addition to showing visitors what life with solar power and an electric vehicle looks like, Mr Marasti will be talking to visitors about how to finance the equipment and installation.
‘‘It’s always cheaper to pay for everything up front, and if you can do that it’s a good investment.
‘‘If you already have a mortgage, a green loan is the next best option, because you can get a 0% or 1% loan.’’
Mr Marasti said he hoped the Queenstown Lakes District Council would implement the Ratepayers Assistance Scheme, which would allow the council to provide finance for home improvements like solar panels over longer periods and at better rates than from banks.
