SwitchedOn Australia

Richard Smithers and his partner Lisa have taken their family home in Melbourne fully off gas, but it wasn’t part of some long-held masterplan. When they renovated in the early 2000s, climate concerns were there, but electrification wasn’t the priority. Several years later, a mix of timing, technology and circumstance pushed them to go all in - they ditched the gas, installed solar, a battery and new electric heating systems, along with draught proofing and more insulation. Richard is candid that financial capacity made the switch possible. But they haven’t only achieved emissions reduction and bill savings – their house is now much more comfortable, and they have greater control, resilience and independence from the grid.

Home battery installations are surging under the federal rebate scheme, alongside a wave of marketing promising massive systems at bargain prices and energy independence. But installing a battery involves more than plugging in a piece of hardware. How its installed is just as important, as well as having an installer who’ll be around to fix any problems. Whilst most batteries are of a high standard, the Clean Energy Regulator recently found more than 60% of installations are substandard. Dan McCabe and Matt Williams from GI Energy unpack why some batteries are so cheap, what consumers should watch out for, and how to get a system that actually works as intended.

Gas prices are rising as global conflicts tighten supply and expose Australian households to volatile international markets. But millions of renters remain locked into using gas, even though cheaper electric alternatives like heat pump hot water systems are easily available. The barrier is a split incentive - landlords pay for appliances that tenants have to use. Harry Barber from Electrify Yarra is calling on the Treasurer to use the upcoming budget to fix that, by extending instant tax write-offs to landlords for heat pump installations. He argues this would bring landlords into line with small businesses and unlock investment in rental properties. Without that signal in the budget, the shift to cheaper, cleaner energy risks leaving renters behind as the energy transition ramps up.

Electricity disconnections are meant to be a last resort in Australia. There are rules designed to protect people who get electricity bills — retailers are supposed to offer payment plans, hardship support, and only disconnect when there’s no other option. But as households buckle under the combined pressure of rising energy bills and the broader cost-of-living crisis, disconnections are rising. Nicola Willand, Associate Professor at RMIT University, argues disconnections could just be the tip of the iceberg — an indicator of increasing energy debt and financial stress – which may increase as we electrify everything.

Balcony solar, small, plug-in systems you can hang off a balcony or fence, has exploded in Germany, with millions of households now generating their own power. Low cost solar panels and micro-inverters, regulatory changes that allow simple plug-in installation without the need for an electrician, and soaring energy prices after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have all driven the surge. What began as a DIY workaround is now an off-the-shelf consumer product, reshaping how people think about energy at home. But balcony solar has its detractors, with resistance emerging from large co-operative and municipal landlords who control much of the rental market. Sebastian Müller, the chair of the German association for plug-in solar, Balkon Solar, explains how the movement gained momentum, what’s holding it back, and what it reveals about the roll out of consumer-led energy systems.

As rooftop solar, home batteries and electric vehicles transform how energy is generated and used, Australia’s electricity networks are being forced to adapt. At last week’s Energy Networks conference in Adelaide, consumer energy resources were top of mind for many network leaders, even though networks in Australia are constrained by rules designed for a one-way grid and prevent them from dealing with consumers. Some networks argue they need a bigger role to manage consumer resources and avoid costly infrastructure overbuilds and keep prices down. Critics warn that expanding network powers will entrench their market dominance and stifle innovation. New research from EA Technology, which advises networks around the world, suggests that networks need a better understanding of how, when and why consumers use electricity. Chief Commercial Officer at EA Technology discusses their recent survey of more than 8,000 consumers across Australia, the UK and New Zealand.

As renewable energy projects expand across regional Australia, the question of who benefits is becoming increasingly important. Governments are introducing community benefit guidelines to ensure host regions share in the economic gains – WA is the latest - but results so far have been mixed. Kim Mallee, a co-director at the Community Power Agency, argues that community benefits can’t be treated as an add-on – they must be shaped by communities themselves. Drawing on international examples from countries like Denmark, Scotland and Ireland, she explores how ownership, co-investment and community-led models can deliver deeper, longer-term value. CPA’s new report, Power in Partnership, outlines how these approaches could work in Australia and we can move beyond compensation towards genuine partnership in the energy transition.

Rooftop solar, home batteries and smart technology are transforming Australia’s electricity system and helping many households cut their power bills. But a controversial draft review from the Australian Energy Market Commission has sparked debate about whether electricity pricing is shifting costs onto people who've invested in consumer energy resources, or alternatively, those who can least afford them. Gavin Dufty, the national director of energy policy and research at the St Vincent de Paul society, draws on years of data from the Vinnies Tariff Tracker project to show what households actually pay for electricity across the country. He argues the current system may be creating new inequities between households able to invest in solar and smart technology and those who cannot, including renters and low-income households. At the centre of the debate is a difficult policy question: should electricity pricing reward households that reduce their reliance on the grid, or should everyone pay more to simply stay connected? The outcome of the AEMC’s review could shape how the costs of Australia’s energy transition are shared.

What if the clean energy transition is ultimately led not by utilities or renewable energy companies, but by the data and AI industry? Luis F. Gonzalez, Chief Data and AI Officer at Aboitiz Power, argues that as data and energy become more intertwined, it will be the data sector that finances, shapes and champions decarbonisation. He says AI doesn’t just consume electricity — it changes the economics of who builds and controls energy infrastructure. And although he doesn’t want Face Book to run our power grids, he argues the only type of company capable of massive data brokerage for millions of consumer energy resources is a data company. While openly optimistic about the benefits of intelligence-driven systems, he also acknowledges the risks of monopoly power and that energy regulators are not yet ready for what’s to come.

Australia’s home battery rollout is accelerating, but many households may not realise they’re buying systems that are effectively locked to a single manufacturer’s software. Tech entrepreneur Simon Hackett explains why a lack of interoperability strips consumers of real control over batteries they’ve paid for and how closed, cloud-controlled systems risk higher costs, stranded assets, and weakened trust in virtual power plants. He outlines an alternative vision where open software allows households to optimise their energy use, respond to real-time prices, and create real power plants rather than virtual ones which serve someone else’s business model. At stake is whether Australia’s battery boom empowers households, or quietly hands control back to manufacturers and retailers.