Y2K + 25 = the year we went all-electric

This article was first published in The Illawarra Flame

It’s blowing my mind that we are a quarter of a century into the millennium. The good news is 2515 residents are sprinting towards the future by hosting Australia’s first community-led electrification pilot. 

Since the pilot launch in November, the question that keeps popping up is: ‘Where do I start?’ Or ‘what should I do next?’ In the name of New Year’s Resolutions good intentions, here are some ideas to take one step to reduce your emissions and energy bills in 2025.

Is 2025 the year to….

Upgrade an old gas appliance with electric?

Yes! This is the easiest place to start your electrification journey and reduce your energy bills. The average Australian household using gas for their cooking, hot water and heating could save up to $800 a year by switching their appliances to efficient electric ones, and that’s before you add solar or a battery. 

2025 is a great year to do it, because if you apply to be part of the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot, you could save a significant amount on the upfront cost and installation of these appliances, as well as get trusted advice on which one is best for you and your budget.

It’s not just better for your hip-pocket, it’s better for your health. Leading health organisations like Asthma Australia advise to remove gas appliances, especially cooktops and unflued gas heaters, as they can release indoor air pollutants which trigger asthma and other respiratory issues. 

Modern electric appliances and vehicles often outperform their fossil fuel counterparts due to their efficiency and power such as heating up water faster and offer precise temperature control.

If you’re wondering which appliance to start with, start with your oldest appliance, or start with the most energy intensive one - your hot water heater. Check out our household guide for more info on the most energy intensive appliances in your home and what you need to consider when upgrading them. 

Thirroul residents Don and Christina outside their all-electric home.

Disconnect from gas?

As part of the pilot, we hope to get at least 500 homes off gas. Not only will this reduce overall energy bills, but you won’t have to pay the daily gas connection fee, which can add up, especially if you only have one gas appliance left in the house. 

There’s some confusion about how much it costs to disconnect your gas. The free option is to call your retailer and ask to close the account but you may still receive bills ‘to the resident’ from the gas network, Jemena, which is a bit annoying. Another option is to call Jemena and ask them to disconnect your gas service for a fee of $157.30 (incl. GST). 

There is an option to remove the gas meter from your property (gas abolishment) but it costs $1,617 and isn’t really necessary.

Install or upgrade solar?

The cheapest form of delivered energy available in the world is Australia’s rooftop solar. The day you start powering your home’s energy needs from your rooftop solar is the day you will save money on your energy bills. While exporting solar to the grid doesn’t pay as much as it used to, it’s still worthwhile to be generating as much energy as you can for your own household use. Even though solar isn’t subsidised under the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot, with federally supported Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) which are automatically applied when you purchase solar, the average payback period is 3-5 years. If you own your roof and it isn’t too shady, it’s a no brainer. 

Invest in a home battery?

For many all-electric homes, the home battery is the last item on the wishlist. Until now, they haven’t really been economical as the upfront cost is high and the payback takes an average of 7-15 years. It’s clear many people in 2515 see it as an important part of the puzzle though, with more than half of applicants for the pilot requesting one. 

There are a limited number of batteries available through the pilot, so some other things to consider as to whether 2025 is the year of the home battery are: the new NSW Government Home Battery Rebate, which is available to anyone; the potential for changing energy tariffs as the electricity network and retailers investigate options to reward customers that use their battery to feed-in energy at peak hours, and; having your own back-up when there’s a power outage from a storm.

Get an EV?

Collectively, our private cars are responsible for 16% of Australia’s domestic emissions. Electrifying your vehicles is the single biggest impact your household can make from both a bill savings and emissions savings perspective. EVs cost half as much to drive if you charge it from the electricity grid and ten times less when charged with rooftop solar (which would save you $22,700 on average over 15 years!). With prices dropping rapidly, and more finance options such as novated leases that reduce your income tax, EVs are becoming an appealing option. What’s more, brand new regulations announced by the federal government mean they will soon work as giant storage batteries for our homes and play an exciting role in our energy future.