With electricity prices set to significantly increase from July, Rewiring Australia is calling for a greater focus on the combined power of household and community energy to end bill shock.
The Australian Energy Regulator yesterday announced price caps will rise by up to 9.7 per cent for many consumers, partly driven by the rising cost of the grid, and in a separate report last week, AEMO highlighted the high cost of building new transmission infrastructure.
"There are practical steps households can take with the support of governments to protect against this sort of bill shock. Empowering communities to switch to electric appliances, run by rooftop solar and stored by battery, is the first step," Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom.
"And what comes after that is even more impressive. Upgrading grid technology to allow households, businesses and local sites to generate, share and store electricity locally means communities won't have to rely on mega power plants. They will have a sustainable source made locally.
"We've seen exciting initiatives that support this kind of model, like New South Wales' first urban renewable energy zone which will focus on local energy generation, sharing and storage to create an energy resilient area," Francis Vierboom said.
The recently announced urban renewable energy zone for the Illawarra will prioritise rooftop solar, community batteries and local grid fixes over large-scale transmission projects to ensure swifter access to cheaper and cleaner energy.
"We know there is serious demand for household energy independence. There are hundreds of homes participating in our Electrify 2515 pilot project. We are helping people upgrade their homes to be able to make and store their own power.
"With the right technology, and the right grid rules, excess power can be stored and used when it's needed around the community. We don't need to wait for expensive transmission projects. Australia has an incredible amount of rooftop solar already installed, and room for far more on homes and businesses, so we don't lack the ability or desire to become more energy sufficient.
"Governments must support the rapid expansion of electrification like we have seen in the 2515 pilot, and support more initiatives like the urban renewable energy zone in the Illawarra. If we combine households and local energy infrastructure, we can make bill shock a thing of the past," Francis Vierboom said.
Research conducted by Rewiring Australia has revealed the average household can save thousands of dollars each year by adopting rooftop solar, a home battery and switching to an electric vehicle, and swapping out gas appliances for electric ones.
