This is what you started!
Four years ago, the Electrify 2515 volunteers set out to prove that a cleaner future starts at home. Now there are over 100 electric communities working to curb carbon emissions across Australia
When Electrify 2515 started as a volunteer project back in 2022, it was a pioneering concept. That initial community group faced a huge task to get community buy-in and government funding. People questioned whether household changes could truly make a difference.
Today, it’s hard to believe how far we’ve come. We are witnessing the energy transition in real time and our little neighbourhood is leading the way. You might be surprised to learn just how many policies and movements our humble community has inspired.
Here are just a few ways Electrify 2515 has paved the way for Australia:
- Over 100 electric communities across the country
When Electrify 2515 first launched, we really started a trend. Today, there are now over 100 electric communities working to curb carbon emissions by running various electrification activities in their neighbourhoods. Google groups like Electrify Bouddi or Electrify Boroondara and you’ll see just how many cool things are happening around the country.
Kristen McDonald, one of the original volunteers that helped set up Electrify 2515, has worked hard to secure grant funding from the NSW government for groups wanting to engage their own community.
"We hear from households every week who want to cut their energy bills and go electric but don't know where to start,” she said. "We’re excited to work with 15 local groups – from Bermagui to Orange – to give people trusted, locally appropriate advice that empowers more households to electrify.”
- More community-led pilots like ours have secured government funding
When Electrify 2515 secured funding for its innovative research pilot in 2022, it was the first time the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) had ever funded a community-led project. Since then, ARENA has committed to creating more community pilots like ours in every state and territory to accelerate the transition and try solve emerging barriers and make electrification easier for the 11 million households across Australia.
- Urban Renewable Energy Zone created in the Illawarra
A decade ago, the prevailing thinking was that we would have to build a huge amount of large-scale renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions and meet our growing energy demand needs. That was before Austinmer local Saul Griffith wrote his seminal book, The Big Switch, which argued that we wouldn’t have to build anywhere near as much large scale renewables or transmission lines if we just filled Australia’s rooftops with solar, and then stored this energy in home batteries. Electrify 2515 has proved this is true – we’ve rapidly electrified over 350 households in one small area, and it hasn’t broken the grid. This was a catalyst for the NSW government, which announced the Illawarra as home to the country’s first Urban Renewable Energy Zone. Instead of building massive new generation plants, the Urban Renewable Energy Zone will use existing infrastructure, commercial rooftops, and spare government land to add 1 gigawatt of energy to the grid and eventually support local green manufacturing.
- The federal Cheaper Home Battery scheme.
The overwhelming interest in batteries from locals in the pilot helped signal the need for better support, influencing policies like the federal Cheaper Home Battery scheme. To date, more than 600 batteries have been installed in 2515 and Bulli. Australia now has more residential battery capacity than the whole United States! The program has now been extended to include solar and batteries for commercial and industrial properties. Not only does this save our solar for use at night, it smooths out and stabilises the grid, promising cheaper electricity for everyone.
- NSW and federal government incentives to encourage household electrification.
It became apparent during the rollout of the Electrify 2515 pilot that, even with subsidies on offer, the upfront cost of replacing gas appliances is still a barrier for many. This real-world evidence helped convince the NSW government to introduce their 0% Home Energy Saver Loan Scheme for low to middle income households.
- Saul Griffith goes virtual
Saul Griffith lives in Austinmer with his wife, two kids and their dog. He has been profiled on Australian Story for demonstrating how carbon emissions can be almost halved by Aussie families making decisions about how they run their house and car. He loves helping people electrify their own homes but there's only one Saul and there are 11 million households in Australia. That’s why Rewiring Australia has created Electric Saul – a personalised online tool that provides independent advice to help householders make the switch and save money in the process.
We’ve achieved so much together, proving that a cleaner future starts at home. As the pilot starts to wrap, we’ll share the results of our real world experiment with you – the community – and continue advocating for a faster and fairer energy transition.
