Projects

The Canberra tradies helping households go electric

Rewiring Australia is teaming up with ACT tradies to understand and overcome the barriers that can make it harder for Canberrans to make the switch to electric homes. Our new ACT Installer Project will work with local installers and families to explore what's helping and what's getting in the way when it comes to upgrading homes with electric appliances.

Get involved

Funded by the ACT Energy Innovation Fund, the 12-month project brings together residential installers, households and industry stakeholders to share experiences, test ideas and find practical ways to make going electric easier for more Canberrans.

The problem

Why are we working with installers?

If you're thinking about replacing your hot water system, cooktop, heating or another appliance, there's a good chance you'll talk to a tradie first.

But going electric isn't always straightforward. Tradies and households can run into questions about new technologies, upfront costs, training and accreditation, electrical requirements, available space and how different products will work in a particular home. And many tradies still use and recommend gas appliances.

We want to better understand these challenges and work with the people experiencing them to find practical solutions.

The project

What will the project do?

Over 12 months we'll talk with tradies and households, test ideas and share what we learn. The project will:

Talk to installers and households through surveys, interviews and focus groups.

Find out what makes going electric easier — and what can make it harder.

Bring local tradies together through an ACT Installer Cluster to share ideas, learn from each other and test practical solutions.

Create opportunities for installers to share knowledge and experiences with their peers.

Run at least five events and activities focused on skills, peer learning and practical knowledge.

Work with installers to develop and test useful resources they can use with their customers.

Share what we learn through research reports, a public summary and a webinar.

Explore ways for ACT installers to keep working together after the project ends.

Participants

Who is involved with the ACT Installer Project?

We're primarily working with ACT residential installers who install or work with gas and electric appliances, including electricians, plumbers and HVAC installers. Households are an important part of the project too.

At least 6 installers

Already confident with electric technologies

We want to learn from their experience and find out what's working, what's motivating them and what would help them support even more households to go electric.

At least 15 installers

Newer to household electrification

We want to understand what would help them feel more confident working with electric technologies and supporting customers considering the switch.

Households

People who've worked with an installer on a home upgrade

We want to understand what helped them make decisions, what questions they had and what information would have made the process easier.

Research questions

What are we trying to understand?

What makes it easier or harder for tradies to recommend and install electric appliances?
What opportunities are opening up for tradies as more households go electric?
What knowledge and skills do installers need?
What questions and concerns do customers have?
How do upfront costs and extra installation work affect household decisions?
Could training, rebates, peer learning or other support make a difference?
What would help tradies have better conversations with customers about going electric?

Want to get involved?

We'd love to hear from ACT tradies and households

If you're a residential installer working with gas or electric appliances, or a Canberra household that has recently worked with a tradie on a home upgrade, you can get involved in the project's research and engagement activities.

Email us now