Energy experts urge Australia to ‘electrify everything’

A report released by Rewiring Australia, a new energy think tank, shows that Australian households could vastly reduce their energy bills through electrification, and cut domestic emissions by around one-third by 2030.

Rewiring Australia’s inaugural report, Castles and Cars: savings in the suburbs through electrifying everything presents new modelling, which shows electrification will save the average household $5,000 on power and the cost of owning cars and appliances by 2030. According to the report, this would be achieved by replacing conventional cars and appliances with electric vehicles, solar, batteries and efficient appliances such as heat pumps for hot water and heating and cooling.

“The future looks like vastly cheaper energy, better homes and nicer cars,” says Doctor Saul Griffith, founder of Rewiring Australia, co-founder of Rewiring America, and adviser to the Biden administration’s electrification agenda. “No nation is better placed to seize this opportunity for cheaper energy, self-reliance and cleaner air than Australia.

“Australians already lead the world in harvesting solar electricity. Now we have the technology available to use it. With modest public investment in our homes, cars, and communities, we can electrify everything without sacrificing our way of life. If we embrace this shift now, we can enjoy cheaper, cleaner, healthier energy, and win the global decarbonisation race.”

The report indicates that by 2030, electrification of households would reduce domestic emissions by about 33 per cent. Australia is already the world leader in rooftop solar, with around three million solar households home to this technology. The authors believe this gives the country a head start in electrification.

The modelling uses published data that predicts dramatic cost reductions in battery, EV and efficient electric appliances. Dr Griffith and his co-authors project that by mid-decade, the finance and running costs of a “rewired” home will be cheaper than one with a petrol car and conventional gas and electric appliances.

To support electrification of Australia’s housing stock, the authors are calling on governments to develop workforce capacity, industrial supply chains, and grid integration immediately to enable Australia to lead the world in decarbonising.

The paper argues that Australia could consolidate its solar lead and drive rapid decarbonisation by:

• Increased adoption of solar and increase of average rooftop solar size
• Widespread adoption of batteries, with smart Virtual Power Plant capabilities
• Subsidies for EVs and charging networks
• Swiftly replacing carbon-intensive devices such as gas heaters, cooktops and gas water heaters with efficient devices such as induction hotplates and heat pumps through point-of-purchase rebates.

The paper predicts that cumulative public investment would peak at $12 billion in 2025 before delivering savings of $40 billion per year by 2030.

To read the discussion paper and the technical study, click here.