Australia’s first community-led electrification pilot.
Thanks to a huge campaign led by 2515 locals, the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot is finally here. Driven by Rewiring Australia, Brighte, and Endeavour Energy, with funding from ARENA, the pilot will offer subsidies and support to 500 homes to reduce emissions and energy bills, and collect valuable data on electrification.
Subsidies on offer
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Reverse cycle air conditioner
Subsidy of up to $1000 to replace gas heater (maximum 50% of the installed cost).
Or up to $1500 depending on household income (maximum 70% of the installed cost).
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Heat pump and resistance electric water heaters
Subsidy of up to $1000 to replace a gas hot water system (maximum 50% of the installed cost).
Or up to $1500 depending on household income (maximum 70% of the installed cost).
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Induction cooktop
Subsidy of up to $1000 to replace gas cooktop (maximum 50% of the installed cost).
Or up to $1500 depending on household income (maximum 70% of the installed cost).
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Home battery
Subsidy of up to $1500 to store your rooftop solar in a battery (maximum 50% of the installed cost).
Or up to $4000 depending on household income (maximum 70% of the installed cost).
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Smart energy device
A fully subsidised smart energy device, valued at around $1500, installed in every home to track and optimise energy use.
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Switchboard upgrade
Subsidies are available for upgrades to switchboards where these are required to meet today's safety standards.
What about solar and EVs?
Participants will be able to purchase and install rooftop solar and EV chargers through the Pilot, and the Pilot smart energy device can help drive even lower bills by optimising timing and smart charging, but these items will not be subsidised.
EVs are not included in the Pilot, but participants are strongly encouraged to research the cost savings that an EV could represent as part of an electrified home.
Who is eligible?
The Pilot is designed to include households with different home ownership statuses within the 2515 postcode. So, whether you are a renter, strata resident, homeowner, or residential landlord, we encourage you to apply!
Participants must:
Commit to replacing eligible gas appliances with efficient, electric appliances;
Have items installed within the pilot timeframe;
Consent to the pilot research requirements, including sharing your energy data with the project partners and participating in research until April 2027. Strict privacy policies are in place to protect your personal data. (Read our privacy policy.)
Priority will be given to homes that replace gas appliances. However, there are also opportunities for existing electric homes to participate with the installation of a smart energy device and/or home battery.
How to participate
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Thank you to those who completed our original survey back in 2022. This helped us demonstrate that 2515 was a suitable site for a pilot project like this. Whether or not you completed the original survey, everybody now needs to complete an application form.
You will be offered a range of subsidies to switch out your gas appliances for efficient, electric alternatives. In your application you must identify which appliances you want to install.
Apply Now -
Successful applicants will receive an invitation to participate from Rewiring Australia (by email) at least 30 days prior to your installation window commencing.
Applications are assessed on factors that will enable us to meet our research targets, including diversity of housing types (eg. standalone versus strata property), demographics, and appliance upgrades.
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Participants will be contacted by our installation partner Brighte. They will help you select the appliances you want and arrange quotes with your preferred registered tradespeople. Once you receive your quotes, you can select your products and preferred installer.
Brighte will be available to help via a 1300 number if you would like assistance at any point during the product selection, quotation and installation process.
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Once payment has been completed, your chosen appliances will be delivered and installed, along with a free smart energy device (also known as a household energy management system). This small piece of technology pairs with your smartphone and lets you monitor and optimise your energy usage.
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You will be granted subsidies and an option of two payment methods via the Brighte platform. You will be able to take out a Brighte Green Loan, or you will be able to pay the supplier directly through your preferred payment method (eg cash, bank transfer, alternative finance). Your subsidy will be applied regardless of your payment method.
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You will be asked to contribute valuable feedback via surveys. You may also be asked to participate in focus group discussions or interviews, but these will be on an opt-in basis. This feedback will provide insights into customer preferences that will help decision makers support every Australian household on the journey to the smart, electric future.
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You are reducing your fossil fuel emissions and making savings on your household energy bills at the same time. Congratulations!
“I’m so proud that our 2515 community is at the forefront of this transition… we can fast forward our neighbourhood to the electric future and show the rest of Australia how to do it faster and smarter.”
— Dr Saul Griffith, Founder Rewiring Australia
Timeline
The Pilot will be delivered in two stages between December 2024 and April 2026. The initial smaller cohort will help us collect preliminary data to inform the main rollout stage.
Make it stand out
Households will be notified if they have been selected to participate at least 30 days before the commencement of each stage.
The research component of the project and analysis of participating homes will run from project launch until April 2027. We will report our collective impact and the results of the pilot back to project participants and the wider community.
Goals
We know the future is electric, but how to get there quickly and effectively is something we are still figuring out. To electrify Australia’s 11 million diverse homes will require understanding how to remove friction points for customers, make the process more cost effective and simpler, as well as integrating smart energy devices with local energy grids.
By electrifying homes in a real world community collectively, we can speed up this process and develop crucial insights for this to be done effectively across Australia.
The Electrify 2515 Community Pilot will attempt to answer some of these key questions:
What are the motivators and barriers for people deciding to electrify?
How can we prepare our homes and our grid for a future of greater uptake of electric appliances and cars?
Can we make our energy system not just electric but smarter and more flexible with behaviour change, controllable technologies and smart tariffs?
By how much will household carbon emissions be reduced if we electrify and how will this benefit Australia?
How can we ensure that Australia’s tradespeople have the skills, knowledge and support that they need to deliver the electric appliances and homes of the future?
What are the challenges and costs of electrifying diverse housing types, with varying electrical wiring and constraints, and how can it be done more efficiently and cost effectively?
