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Helping households take control of their energy bills in regional Victoria
For Blake Edwards, helping households reduce their energy bills starts with understanding how their homes use electricity. As President of local community group Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY), he works with residents to make sense of their energy data and identify practical ways to lower costs.
During one recent home visit, a review of electricity meter data revealed that underfloor heating accounted for a large share of the household’s electricity use and was often running without the resident realising.
The review identified two opportunities:
- moving to an electricity plan better suited to the household’s usage,
- and having a local electrician modify the heating controls so the resident could more easily manage when it ran.
It’s an example of the practical support Blake provides in his community of Yackandandah in north-east Victoria. This month, he will bring that local experience to COP31 in Türkiye as one of three participants selected to travel with Rewiring Australia, with funding from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Through his role with TRY, Blake has become a familiar source of support for residents with questions about energy bills, solar and batteries in Yackandandah, a regional town of about 2,000 people.
Over the past year, Blake, who has a degree in aerospace engineering, has undertaken more than 20 home visits, helping residents understand their electricity use and explore their options. His approach starts with each household’s unique electricity meter data, taking into account their electricity plan, the characteristics of their home and their individual needs.
Blake helps residents access those records and turns them into simple graphs that make patterns easier to see. Seeing their electricity use on a graph often helps residents recognise the impact of individual appliances, such as hot-water systems, and understand where their money is going.
The first step is usually finding a better electricity plan based on how the household actually uses power. This can often reduce bills without investing in new equipment, making it a useful option for renters as well as homeowners.
Once people understand their usage, they can also plan upgrades over time, according to their needs and budget. Replacing a hot-water system, improving heating or installing a battery becomes part of a considered plan.
Blake focuses on a manageable number of relevant options, with clear explanations of the costs and benefits. His aim is to give households practical information so they can make their own decisions with confidence.
That work builds on more than a decade of community energy initiatives led by Totally Renewable Yackandandah. Local participation and shared experience have helped households explore rooftop solar, home batteries and electric vehicles, with neighbours learning from one another along the way.
Blake also serves on advisory committees with local electricity network operator AusNet. There, he advocates for consumers and rural communities, drawing on his practical experience supporting households in Yackandandah.
Heading to COP31
In Türkiye, Blake will bring a regional community perspective to discussions about household electrification and battery uptake. His experience offers a practical view of what helps people make changes: clear information, trusted local support and options that suit their homes and budgets.
He is going to listen as much as to share. Alongside contributing lessons from Yackandandah, Blake hopes to learn how communities overseas are approaching household electrification and bring useful ideas home.
Read more about:
and the other two young community leaders who will take Australia's experience of getting off fossil fuels to the international stage at COP31: