Have a local Electrification story?
We'd love to hear from you!

What sparked you to start electrifying your home and transport?

“I started my journey to 'electrification' by buying a bike to get to work, for a bit of movement on my daily commute. From there I started using my bike to replace more and more trips. I'm really lucky to live in an area that has quite a few public transport options for when I want to get a bit further than my bike, so now I'm able to live car free.”

What did you electrify first and why?

My transport, above. I think a simple thing is shifting from using my RCAC air conditioners for heat instead of gas heaters - many places have both, and this simple switch will save you money. I then got the gas heater removed alongside my old gas oven, and got an electric oven installed. After I removed the gas appliances in my house, I was then able to close up the wall vents and start reducing draughts by sealing up gaps. I recently got my insulation upgraded, and these changes have made such an improvement to the comfort in my home. I am very fortunate to have had solar installed when I moved in, which was a great place to begin from. I still have gas-instant hot water, as I'm saving up for a heat pump to be completely all electric.

What was the biggest challenge?

In an old house, there can be challenges trying to decide what order to make the changes when often one upgrade will require another thing to be addressed first. So the order does tend to require a bit of thought. I also had quite a bit of a wait for an electrician for the oven, but I think this was a pandemic-related issue.

How did you find the right advice?

There's quite a lot of good advice on the YourHome website, plus the national and South Australian MEEH groups on Facebook had a wealth of knowledge. Please do sign up to those pages if you're interested - people are very willing to provide help and advice.

What would be your advice to those who are starting on the journey?

Tackle the things that will bring you joy first - for me this was cycling, but it could be cooking with a lovely new induction stove for you, or saving money on energy bills. Have a look at the above websites too - the MEEH groups are full of very helpful advice too :)

What sparked you to start electrifying your home and transport?

Concern about the impact of climate change on urban heating and the frequency of natural disasters and also about the health effects of gas in the home.

What did you electrify first and why?

In order of installation, my electrify journey has been as follows:

1 - Downsized my home and moved to the Mike Turtur Bikeway (so that I could ride my bike more safely) ready for retirement

2- Installed rooftop PV system

3- Purchased energy-efficient appliances as my appliances needed replacement

4 -Purchased an e-bike to replace short-distance car travel

5- Replaced combination gas cooktop and electric oven with induction cooktop and electric oven (Electrolux)

6- Investigated a solar power battery – did not proceed as I don’t have a big enough PV system

7 -Investigated replacement of the gas HWS - unable to find a suitable alternative

8- Continuing to monitor the e-vehicle market.

What was the biggest challenge?

Getting an electric HWS to replace my instant gas HWS – the heat pump options make much more hot water than I need. I am also limited by space. I have not yet been able to replace the gas HWS.

How did you find the right advice?

Am not sure that I have always been able to get the right advice. I have used Facebook electrify groups, general internet searching and Solar Quotes. There would be significant benefit in provision of government-run, non-commercial, shopfront-style energy advisory services like we had many years ago.

What would be your advice to those who are starting on the journey?

It’s all changing quickly, and there is no one right answer for everyone. Start soon. Get rid of your gas cooktop without delay – the health effects are very concerning.