Wintec awarded state sector funding to switch to clean energy lighting

Wintec has been allocated $138,000 from the State Sector Decarbonisation Fund (SSDF) to install efficient lighting on its campuses in Hamilton.

Twelve projects across the state sector were funded from the SSDF, totalling $10.351 million of the $220 million Government fund. Climate Change Minister Hon James Shaw announced a further $13.2 million to be added to the fund.

Wintec will invest an additional $208,000 from its own budget towards the efficient lighting project, part of their commitment to investing in sustainability.

The lighting project is currently underway at Wintec and involves replacing bulbs throughout the Wintec campuses with energy efficient ones.

By installing energy efficient lighting at Wintec, EECA estimates that carbon emissions will be reduced by around 319 tonnes over the next ten years, and approximately 315,701 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per annum.

The SSDF, which is administered by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), invests in organisations to reduce carbon emissions and switch to clean energy in the state sector.

The investment funds projects in tertiary institutions that aim to replace inefficient systems with low-emission alternatives. Working with the Ministry of Education, EECA provides advice and technical support to facilitate low-emissions energy investments.

Minister Shaw says the “Government has been putting tens of millions of dollars into clean energy projects in public organisations across Aotearoa”.

“The projects I am announcing […] build on this and will help progress the transition to a carbon neutral public sector by 2025,” Shaw says.

Other projects supported by the funding announcement include adding electric vehicles to the state sector fleet, as well as upgrading universities and other public organisations to run on clean, climate-friendly energy.