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Electrify Australia campaign launch - Electrifying Homes and Businesses Crucial to Securing Lower Bills and Energy Stability, Says New National Initiative
Rewiring Australia is calling on governments to urgently update outdated rules so millions of renters and apartment residents can access safe, affordable plug-in balcony solar.
Every Australian state and territory has agreed to work with the Commonwealth to legalise “plug-in” solar and batteries. While the details still have to be worked out, with more coming by the end of the year, this commitment is a big step forward to giving renters and strata households more control of their energy bills
Roughly half of Australian renters (49%) are connected to mains gas, leaving 1.63 million households paying hundreds of dollars a year in fixed charges, a total $2.6 billion a year in potential energy savings.
Australian households can now get free personalised advice on how to cut energy bills and go electric with the launch of a new AI tool created by Rewiring Australia in partnership with Google.
Recent research shows big fossil fuel-consuming and carbon-emitting industries are receiving billions of dollars in credits from taxpayer dollars. We and others think it could be better to cap those subsidies and reward electrification instead.
We’re lucky to have abundant solar generation through the middle of the day in Australia, and from July 1 2026, Australian energy retailers will be required to offer households a plan that includes three hours of free electricity per day during peak solar generation hours.
Rewiring Australia is urging the Federal Government to extend home battery rebates to bidirectional EV chargers, ensuring renters can access this vital energy storage solution and secure fairer energy bills.
Millions of Australian renters could gain access to cheaper, cleaner energy under new proposals which include giving renters the right to plug in portable solar panels and batteries.
While the Federal Budget addresses Australia's energy security The Federal Budget addresses Australia's energy security problem by confirming a $10 billion fuel security package, it leaves a major shortfall in the absence of funding for a national home electrification loan scheme, which is the cheapest and most effective long-term solution for households to reduce their reliance on expensive imported petrol and gas.
We are calling for comprehensive solutions, including mandatory minimum rental standards requiring electric replacements for gas appliances at end of life and shifting fixed gas connection costs to landlords
Rewiring Australia welcomes the Federal Government's decision to extend the electric vehicle fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption. While this is a positive step that helps more Australians adopt EVs, CEO Francis Vierboom warns that Australia is still far from mass EV adoption.
Rewiring Australia is calling on the government to introduce a National Electrification Plan and end billions of dollars in fuel tax credits that subsidise diesel use by heavy industry.
In a striking interview on ABC's Insiders this weekend, the Shadow Minister for Industry and Sovereign Capability laid out a compelling case for why Australia needs to reduce its dependence on imported fuel, build domestic energy resilience, and protect households from global price shocks. He spoke passionately about self-reliance. He worried aloud about families at the bowser.
Across Australia, households are replacing fossil-fuel appliances and petrol cars for high-performance, zero-emission electric versions and saving thousands of dollars in the process.
Bulli locals can team up with their neighbours to cut power bills and modernise their homes as part of an expansion to an ambitious community-driven electrification push underway in the NSW Illawarra led by Rewiring Australia.
Battery EVs hit a record 11.8 per cent of new car sales last month and used EV searches jumped 30 per cent in a single week as war in the Middle East rages on and restricts the supply of oil globally, sending petrol prices through the roof.
Dr Jasper Lee has made it his mission to ensure everyone in his community in South Australia can understand and access the benefits of home electrification. He loves seeing real change happen - the light bulb moments.
"If No One Else Is Doing It, Why Don't We?" Retiree Fraser Maywood is one of Western Australia's most dedicated clean energy advocates proving that it's never too late to channel your skills toward something that matters.
New modelling shows Australians could save almost $90,000 over their retirement by ditching fossil fuels and switching to electric homes with solar and batteries.
These discounts are about helping Australians switch to cars that are cheaper to run, better to drive, powered by Australian-made energy, and ultimately better for planet Earth, but the Government must do more to help low-income households.
In the most recent two quarters, the total count of homes connected to gas fell by more than 11,000 while electricity connections grew by 62,000, with every state and territory covered in the Australian Energy Regulator's (AER) reporting recording a net reduction in gas connections over the most recent six-month period.
Reflections on 2025 and what the movement has achieved - and what's next!
Christina Kirsch has spent over a decade championing community-driven renewable energy in Australia, where after four years as a Greens councillor for Warringah, she founded the Northern Beaches chapter of Clean Energy for Eternity in 2012. We interviewed Christina to ask her about her local chapter and what drives her to make an impact.
Today’s announcement is a big win for consumers across the energy system, especially for renters and apartments who often miss out on savings from having their own solar panels.
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“We know upgrading from fossil-fuelled appliances to electric ones is not only good for cutting emissions, but it’s also great for household savings. Australians don’t have to make sacrifices to help reach this target. They will actually save thousands in the long run by switching to electric appliances and power systems at home, including installing rooftop solar, a home battery and driving an electric vehicle.
“Usually we think of climate change as a big problem that’s happening somewhere else far away. Unfortunately, this report reminds us impacts are already happening in our communities - but the action to fix it is also happening in our communities.
We are urging the federal government to extend and expand the Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT) exemption for electric vehicles, with new research showing the incentive could halve vehicle emissions over 10 years, compared with ending the discount in 2027.
Making sure that you’re on the right electricity plan is one of the easiest and low-cost things you can do to manage your energy bill. By understanding your electricity usage and comparing it to available plans, you can find the cheapest option that suits your set-up, needs, and lifestyle.
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“We have the ability to become a renewable energy superpower in Australia, and supporting our innovators is one of the best ways to do that. Harnessing the strong winds out to sea will help deliver clean energy around the clock, and help us close down our expensive, ageing coal power stations on time, which is good for the energy bills of all Australian households,” Saul Griffith said.
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Australia’s biggest productivity opportunity is sitting in our driveways, garages and rooftops.
“We should be creating more incentives for people to upgrade to electric vehicles, which are cheaper to run, quieter, and cleaner for our air,” Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom said.
“This should be a report about how to do more with less. Instead, it gives us spreadsheet carbon accounting and incremental fixes and misses the enormous, structural efficiency gains on offer through electrification," Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom said.
EVs are already more practical, more affordable, and more widely supported than many people realise. In this blog, we unpack some of the most common EV hesitations, and why they might not be dealbreakers after all.
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“We strongly endorse phasing out gas appliances by upgrading them to better and cheaper electric alternatives when they need to be replaced,” said Rewiring Australia’s Chief Scientist Dr Saul Griffith.
A VPP makes more use of your battery. It lets you earn money by selling your battery’s stored energy back to the grid as well as quickly responding to stabilise the grid. Supporting the grid during peak demand also means less reliance on gas and coal-fired electricity.
“The solution to low-cost, clean energy lies on the rooftops of our homes and neighbourhoods. Mandating solar for new builds is a no-brainer."
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This election is a clear mandate to continue this energy transition, but we need to make it happen fairer and faster. Here’s what needs to happen next:
Labor’s proposed policy of a 30% discount on the upfront cost of the battery adds significant additional savings to the total cost of an electrified home. Rewiring Australia’s modelling shows the average fossil fuel home would save $4400 per year - an extra $300 thanks to proposed reduced up-front battery costs.
Rewiring Australia welcomes Labor’s election promise to subsidise more home batteries.
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The new modelling shows that households who switch to an electric car, solar and electric appliances could save more than $4,000 a year, even when including upfront costs.
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2024 has been a landmark year for household electrification, with Australia charging full steam ahead into a cleaner, brighter future.
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The current system overwhelmingly prioritises big energy companies, leaving consumers – who are the most reliable and consistent investors in clean energy – at a disadvantage. This imbalance demands urgent reform. This is not just a matter of fairness; it is critical to the success of Australia’s energy transition. The fastest way to bring down cost of living for households and national emissions is to press the pedal on electrification.
For decades, the writing has been on the wall about the transition away from fossil fuels. Instead of preparing for this inevitable change, the gas pipeline operators have attempted to talk up their profitability with the fiction that everyone in the future will be cooking with green and affordable gas (green hydrogen or biomethane).
The Electrify 2515 Community Pilot has received $5.4 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). This will support 500 households in the 2515 postcode to electrify their homes.
Consumers - with solar panels, batteries, EVs and electrified homes - could play an enormous role in the generation and management of energy. If we’re going to get consumers to help drive this change, we’ll need an energy market that delivers with consumers in mind.
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By implementing retrospective tariffs to solar owners without additional market improvements unfairly frames solar as the problem rather than the solution to our energy transition. These changes are retrospective changes that penalise households for making investments in good faith.
The next step on the journey to Net Zero is for the government to create a low-cost finance scheme for the millions of Australians who cannot afford the upfront investment to move off dirty, expensive fossil gas onto efficient, electric appliances powered by solar.
Past governments created universal health care through Medicare and universal tertiary education through HECS. Now it’s time our federal government offers universal access to cheap, rooftop solar and efficient, electric appliances. With your continued support, we will help them develop the plans and muster the ambition to do it.
The Victorian retiree has electrified her home step by step over more than 15 years - installing solar, a heat pump hot water system, induction cooking and reverse-cycle air conditioning, and is now completely disconnected from gas.
Rewiring Australia is a non-profit organisation dedicated to representing the people, households and communities in the energy system. We empirically demonstrate and communicate the cost savings, emissions reductions, and energy system benefits of electrification.
Rewiring Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we live, meet and work and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.
Rewiring Australia is a member of Climate Action Network Australia.
Rewiring Australia is an Australian charity registered with the ACNC with Deductible Gift Recipient status (ABN 18 664 239 196). All donations over $2 are tax deductible.
Contact us: electrify@rewiringaustralia.org
