SwitchedOn Australia

Australian households may be feeling slightly less pressure paying their energy bills, but the latest Consumer Energy Report Card from Energy Consumers Australia shows the cost of electricity remains a major concern. The ECA’s Executive Manager of Analysis and Advocacy, Ashley Bradshaw, explains why 62% of households are still cutting back on heating and cooling to save money, despite a small improvement in bill stress, why renters continue to face far greater financial pressure than homeowners and why many Australians increasingly want less, rather than more, involvement with the energy system. The conversation also examines recent major reforms to reshape the energy landscape, including new network pricing rules, the rollout of Solar Sharer offers and the prospect of a new consumer duty.

Virtual power plants have been talked about for years as a crucial part of Australia's clean energy future. But a recent ACCC Electricity Inquiry found fewer than one in four battery owners have signed up to a VPP, despite participants typically paying lower electricity bills than households with solar and batteries alone. So what's holding Australians back? Robbie Campbell, CEO of Plico, Australia's first privately funded residential virtual power plant, explains what they’ve learnt since launching in Western Australia in 2017, what it will take for VPPs to go mainstream, and why his company was built around a virtual power plant from day one, rather than adding it to an existing retail business.

For years we've been told that widespread electrification could overwhelm Australia's electricity networks. But midway through the Electrify 2515 trial, Endeavour Energy, the project’s network distributor, says the biggest influence on the grid is customer behaviour – when and how customers use their electrical appliances. General Manager of Future Grid and Asset Management Colin Crisafulli explains why we won’t need to double grid infrastructure even if we double the amount of electricity we use, and why managing just a handful of peak demand days each year is what really drives network investment. He argues that networks need to develop products, tariffs and services that genuinely deliver value for customers if they want households to embrace more flexible energy use.

The Federal Government's new Solar Sharer scheme promises households in New South Wales, South Australia and south-east Queensland three hours of free electricity every day, but who will actually benefit? Ronald Brakels from Solar Quotes explains why the policy has been introduced to soak up Australia's growing surplus of midday solar generation and reduce pressure on the evening electricity peak. But while the Government has promoted the scheme as a way for renters and households without solar to share in the renewable energy transition, the biggest winners are likely to be people with home batteries, especially those who also have rooftop solar and an electric vehicle. He unpacks who should consider signing up, who may be better off staying on their existing plan, and why comparing tariffs will be crucial. He also explains how, if enough households take part, Solar Sharer could help accelerate Australia's shift away from coal-fired power.

Australia's rooftop solar and battery boom has largely bypassed the millions of people who live in apartments, creating a growing energy divide between homeowners and everyone else. Allume Energy co-founder and CEO Cameron Knox explains the technical, legal and governance barriers that have kept apartment residents locked out of clean energy, and the innovations now helping to overcome them. He discusses how multiple apartments can share electricity from a single rooftop solar system, and how a new generation of battery-sharing technology could dramatically expand access to affordable renewable energy. Cameron argues that rather than being left behind in the energy transition, apartments have the potential to be at the forefront of residential renewable energy generation.

Swimming pools don’t usually feature in discussions about household electrification, yet Australia's 1.3 million pool pumps consume a surprisingly large amount of electricity and can make up nearly 20% of a household’s electricity bill. Together Energy co-founder Patrick Michel discusses why pool pumps have been an overlooked energy efficiency opportunity and how pool chemistry has long prevented efforts to reduce run-times. He argues that with a bit of help from technology, smart scheduling and pool management can cut pump operating hours by 25 to 50 per cent without compromising water quality. Can Australia’s backyard pools become a new consumer energy resource, helping support a cleaner and more flexible electricity grid whilst saving households hundreds of dollars a year?

A cold, draughty Melbourne terrace became the focus of a 25-year effort to improve comfort, cut emissions and reduce energy bills through a series of carefully planned upgrades. Starting with insulation, double glazing and draught-proofing long before electrification entered the mainstream, Anna Molan and Michael Fogarty's journey reflects the changing realities of Australia's energy transition. Their experience shows why an efficiency-first approach can make homes healthier, quieter and far more comfortable while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Along the way they navigated solar, heat pumps, induction cooking, batteries and the practical challenges of upgrading an older inner-city home. It's a story of gradual change, informed decision-making and how ordinary households can play a meaningful role in the energy transition while improving everyday life.

Right now, the world’s largest fully battery-electric ship sits in Hobart’s Derwent River, waiting to be put into service. The 130-metre China Zorrilla, built by Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat, will carry more than 2,000 passengers and 225 vehicles between Argentina and Uruguay entirely on battery power. Four battery rooms on board house more than 5,000 lithium-ion battery units, part of what is believed to be the largest battery installation ever put on a ship. Sitting onboard the vessel with Incat founder and chairman, Robert Clifford, explains how a family-owned Tasmanian company built a ship many in global shipping thought impossible and why battery-electric ferries are poised to reshape the future of maritime transport.

Australia’s energy system is increasingly relying on households. With more than four million homes now sporting rooftop solar, and batteries, EVs and smart appliances rapidly growing, consumer energy resources are becoming central to how the grid operates. But there’s a problem emerging beneath this transformation - many of these devices still can’t properly communicate with each other. Dani Alexander from the UNSW Energy Institute explains the importance of interoperability, the technical standards and systems that allow solar, batteries, EVs, retailers and networks to ‘talk’ to each other, and how a lack of interoperability could lock consumers into closed ecosystems and reduce consumer choice.

Ahead of Sustainable House Day, Helen Oakey, CEO from Renew explains how Australians are retrofitting, electrifying and rethinking the places they live. What began more than 40 years ago as a niche showcase for solar homes has evolved into a nationwide snapshot of the energy transition playing out in real houses, apartments and renovations around the country. With ageing housing stock leaving many Australians too hot in summer, too cold in winter and burdened by rising energy bills, more households are pursuing homes that are healthier, more comfortable, cheaper to run and more resilient. From insulation and draught-proofing to heat pumps, batteries and all-electric upgrades, Sustainable House Day gives people a chance to see what these changes look like in practice — and ask householders what’s genuinely worked, what hasn’t, and what they’d do differently.