Rewiring Australia

We had a busy three days at Everything Electric in Sydney, meeting many people interested in home electrification! It was great to be there with Brendan and Khloe from Get Off Gas and many of our Sydney-based Electric Community groups, offering independent advice for interested householders. The most common question? Should I get a heat pump hot water system? Our response? Yes! Heat pumps are 3-4 times more efficient than an electric resistive water heater and are cheaper to run over the lifetime of the appliance. Our main piece of advice is to plan ahead - don’t wait until your water heater dies before you choose a replacement! You can read more about water heaters in the Research and Resources section of our website: https://lnkd.in/gv6stZa6 FullyCharged.SHOW & Everything Electric Tim Forcey Climate Action Burwood-Canada Bay #GoSolarMackellar #energyzenorthshore #KuringaiCouncil

This looks like a great CAW event at Macquarie University

We welcome today's announcement from the Federal Government that NSW social housing residents will benefit from $145.3 million in upgrades to make social housing properties more energy efficient. Upgrading from gas to efficient electric appliances lowers energy bills permanently and all households, no matter their income or status, should know the benefits. Vulnerable households are often trapped in the cycle of rising energy costs, and these measures will bring potential savings of around $1800 annually. These home upgrades will: ?? Provide lasting cost-of-living relief for vulnerable residents ?? Create healthier homes ?? Reduce overall energy consumption ?? Cut carbon emissions We're excited to see see the positive impact this will have on thousands of families across NSW! Chris Bowen MP Josh Wilson MP Penny Sharpe #MPRoseJackson #ElectrifyEverything #CostofLiving https://lnkd.in/g8zb5cGN

As Cyclone Alfred is set to make landfall on Friday, QLD Power Provider Energex is advising all rooftop solar users to take extra precautions and turn off their solar arrays. Always follow your installer’s shutdown procedures. These can usually be found at the inverter and/or on the main switchboard. 1. Turn off the inverter AC mains isolator (usually found in the meter box) 2. Turn off the photovoltaic (PV) array isolator (usually found next to the inverter) Or look at the Energex website for more details: https://lnkd.in/eUnn5u5D

As if Australia's housing divide wasn't bad enough, renters - and especially social housing renters - often miss out on the everyday savings that owners get from electrifying their home. Great to see the ACT and Federal Government funding $12.9m of upgrades for social housing - adding solar and a battery saves most people thousands of dollars on their bills, and gets rid of a few more of the fossil fuel machines we need to replace to get to zero emissions. The ACT has cold winters and hot summers, so efficient heating and cooling makes a huge difference to comfort and bills. Hopefully private renters there will soon benefit from improved minimum standards requiring efficient electric upgrades under consideration at the moment too. https://lnkd.in/gBUeHjAb

Hold the phone… could it be smart politics to help Australian households dodge rising bills and global fossil fuel shocks, just by using more of our own solar power instead? As we told the Guardian, we reckon whoever makes it easiest to electrify homes to slash bills will be politically rewarded. https://lnkd.in/gGVgzZYQ And while we’re here…kudos to the NSW and federal governments for kicking in support for apartment dwellers last Friday. ICYMI, your strata committee can apply to get half the cost of new solar for your building covered. ?Applications open at: https://lnkd.in/gEEnH3DJ

This is a great step forward! ?? We applaud the Federal Government's $25 million investment to help NSW apartment dwellers access the benefits of solar. For too long, people in apartments have missed out on clean energy savings. Analysis done for Renew Australia for All shows the savings potential for apartments are HUGE: - Efficiency upgrades: $1,033/year savings - Solar: $733/year savings - Batteries: $390/year savings That's over $2000 of potential savings per apartment annually! ?? This investment will help 10,680 NSW households, but with 1.3 million apartments in Australia, we need to think bigger! We could generate $2.8 billion in yearly savings nationally if apartments had support to access the full suite of energy upgrades. The PM's announcement proves our voices are being heard. Let's keep pushing! ??

Don't let the foxes run the henhouse - jump on the survey at https://lnkd.in/gwzuSMFC and let the Victorian government know they're absolutely right to have a clear plan to get off gas and put more money in consumer pockets. Great analysis from Jay at IEEFA on the dodgy numbers the gas lobby is pushing. You can also check out Rewiring Australia's detailed submission, published today, at https://lnkd.in/g3kgYnNS

Subsidies to help manage high power bills have definitely provided relief but now we can shift our attention to a long-term fix. By making it easier for people to install solar panels, switch to efficient electric appliances and store their own energy at home with a battery, we can reduce energy bills, permanently. Governments can make it easier for people to make the switch by offering expanded flexible finance to install solar technology, batteries and new electric appliances. Our research shows households could be saving thousands by doing this. Let’s move away from quick sugar hits and invest in long-term solutions. https://lnkd.in/gYqK7TUW

Rewiring Australia is pleased to make a submission to Victoria's Building Electrification Regulatory Impact Statement. We strongly support the Victorian Government's leadership in the transition away from gas towards a cleaner, affordable electric future. We believe that a mandate requiring all gas appliances to be replaced with efficient electric ones on all new and existing residential and commercial properties will deliver the fastest cost savings for Victorians, while lowering emissions. You can read our full submission on our website: https://lnkd.in/ggCGcSg3 And if you'd like to support Victoria's transition away from gas, complete this easy survey before Feb 28: https://lnkd.in/guiZSKHk