Energy for Good began with a thought!
Many people have a bucket list - things to experience before the end of their lives.
How about having a list of amazing world changing projects, using your skills and experience, in collaboration with others, to improve the lives of families, communities and environments?
Ditch the bucket and become a legend!
The idea became a concept and then a reality
Bill Heaps, Energy for Good’s founder, is not a fan of bucket lists. For Bill, the concept can be too self focused and in many cases, the activities cause harm to communities and environments rather than improving them. For Bill, “enjoying dinner on a luxury river cruise whilst looking out at poor people on the river bank is not an appealing activity”
Bill believes that, because of retirement, changes in employment or lifestyle, valuable professional skills and experience can be currently unused.
Energy for Good was established in May 2021 to provide a framework and platform through which volunteers collaborate on projects that achieve significant benefits to communities.
“How good would it be to contribute to a project that brings affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity supply to 1 million families that currently do not have electricity supplied to their homes, or a project that takes 100,000 families out of energy hardship and unhealthy homes.”
The journey has just begun
Energy for Good has a small team of volunteers that are collaborating on several projects.
Energy for Good is continuing to form links and alliances with other groups, organisations and communities.
Energy for Good is listening, learning and developing relationships so that it better understands how to contribute its skills and experience.
Energy for Good has developed its Vision for three areas in where it is developing and undertaking projects.
All projects have measured outputs in terms of quantified and qualified delivered benefits. Through this, Energy for good and its project team members will be linked directly with the good that their energy has created.
William Heaps - Founding Director
William (Bill) Heaps reached a milestone of 50 years’ continuous service in the energy industry in 2021. Across five decades, Bill has focused on the delivery of affordable and efficient energy services that meet customer needs. He is an electrical engineer, business executive and company director with broad experience in major infrastructure and energy supply businesses. In the last thirty years, he has held senior executive and governance positions in electricity generation, transmission, distribution, and retail businesses. He established and was Managing Director of Strata Energy Consulting for seventeen years. During this time, Strata’s advice to energy regulators resulted in billion dollar efficiencies being achieved in energy utility costs.
In 2021, Bill made the decision to stop working for personal income and use his skills and experience to make a difference to the lives of others. He is initially focused on relieving energy hardship in New Zealand, particularly when this affects children. He held a vision that he could provide a framework where professional engineers would work together to improve the lives of families and communities.. Energy for Good provides a vehicle for like minded energy professionals to join him in improving the lives of others.
Energy for Good has expanded the initial focus areas for which it will undertake projects to include creating access to affordable, reliable and sustainable electricity supplies for communities, and the promotion of technologies to address climate change risks.
Bill is also an Independent Director of the Community Energy Network (CEN) which is a not for profit organisation working to improve the quality and health of New Zealand homes, and supporting the development of community energy projects.