Watt’s next?
Elsa Evers shares three top tips from the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot
So you've electrified your home? What's next? There are still a few key things you can do to ensure you're getting the lowest possible energy bills.
With hundreds of local homes newly (or nearly) electrified as part of the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot, don’t forget these final three things.
Disconnect your gas
No one wants to pay a daily usage charge for gas they’re not using, so the first thing to do is disconnect your gas.
You can do this one of two ways. The cheapest and easiest way is to call your gas retailer (eg Origin, AGL) and ask them to do a final read and ‘cap’ your gas. This should cost around $70.
The alternative (and safest) method is to call your gas retailer and request a ‘gas abolishment’. Jemena will come and permanently remove your meter and gas pipes. If you call up today, your retailer will likely quote over $1200 for this service - but, as the result of consumer advocacy from organisations like Rewiring Australia, from July 1 onwards, it will reduce to $250. Pop the date in your calendar!
Understand your energy use
Use your smart energy device app or solar inverter app to get really clear on how you’re using your electricity and when. When is your hot water heating? Could it be moved to the day to take advantage of excess solar? Are you using a fast car charger that exceeds your solar generation? Think about whether you can move things around to take advantage of your solar or cheaper electricity tariffs.
Review your electricity plan
Once you know how you’re using electricity, you are ready to find an electricity plan that suits your usage patterns. For example, if you don’t have solar, you could switch to one of the solar sharer plans coming onto the market that give you three hours of free electricity during the day. If you need to charge an EV overnight, consider an overnight EV plan like the GloBird EV Charging Plan. If you have a battery, you might be better off with a special battery plan AGL’s Battery Rewards Plan, or trading on the wholesale market with Amber.
You need a degree to understand energy these days, so if it feels overwhelming - please don’t give up! Give the Electrify 2515 pilot team a call on 4216 6032 or come see us at Thirroul Library Fridays 10am-2pm. We can muddle our way through it together.
Another Australian Story
The Electrify 2515 Community Pilot and Austinmer engineer Dr Saul Griffith, co-founder of Rewiring Australia, will be back on the ABC's Australian Story this Monday night. Here's their preview: This follow-up episode catches up with Saul in the US, where the climate agenda has been dismantled with striking speed. As Saul says it's a dark time to be a climate person there. But it’s a different story in Australia where renewables are being embraced at scale. The pilot programs that started as a neighbourhood experiment near Wollongong have expanded. Households are making the switch in their droves, energy bills are coming down and EV sales are soaring. Saul's conclusion? "I can find many reasons for hope."
Watch Australian Story on ABC TV at 8pm on Monday June 8 or ABC iview.
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Genevieve Swart
Elsa Evers
Genevieve Swart
