SwitchedOn Australia

Nov 16 2024 63 ep. 38 mins 87

SwitchedOn Australia Podcast artwork

Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.

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Being unemployed means you’re more likely to have solar panels on your roof

Nov 16 2024 31 mins

With around a third of our homes now sporting a solar array, Australia leads the world by far in solar installations. Recent research has looked at what makes people install solar and found some very surprising factors. Postcodes with higher rates of unemployed have higher rates of rooftop solar, for instance, and the more solar panels you see in your neighbourhood, the more likely

Why virtual power plants will fail unless the energy system changes

Nov 09 2024 40 mins

Australia is generating more energy on rooftops than from coal and gas plants, and the industry is betting on virtual power plants (VPPs) to harness this power for the grid. VPPs work by coordinating solar panels, batteries, and other small energy resources to function as one large, flexible power source. But many consumers are reluctant to join one. James Sturch is a Technical Dir

Breaking even on rooftop solar, home batteries and 2 Teslas in just under 9 years

Nov 03 2024 43 mins

Rosemary Grundy has done a detailed analysis of how long it will take to get a return on her investment in renewables. From the day she moved into her new house in December 2021, she’s diligently recorded how much she saves from not using fossil fuels, and how much she pays for electricity, and calculated that she’ll break even on her solar panels, batteries, and two electric v

Why the energy transition needs consumers to love electricity

Oct 27 2024 44 mins

In just over 8 years the Octopus Group has become one of the largest green energy retailers, generators, installers and investors in the UK. Underpinning and revolutionising the way they do business is Kraken technology. Devrim Celal is the Chief Marketing and flexibility officer at Kraken. He explains why consumer trust in the electricity industry is so important and why the energ

Groundbreaking community pilot to help spark the electrification of all Australian homes

Oct 20 2024 34 mins

The Electrify 2515 Community Pilot has landed $5.4 million from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to run a world first electrification pilot. Under the pilot, 500 residents in the 2515 postcode south of Sydney will receive subsidies and support to install electric hot water, reverse cycle air conditioners, induction cooktops, and home batteries, and a free smart home energy de

Stop bill-shocking by forcing householders on to time-of-use electricity tariffs

Oct 07 2024 40 mins

By the end of the decade, it’s anticipated every home in Australia will be paying time-of-use, or cost-reflective, tariffs, rather than a flat rate for our electricity. Some households though are getting much higher electricity bills because their electricity retailer didn’t tell them they’d been put on a time-of-use tariff and have to pay more during peak periods. Brendan Fr

In defence of 'community' batteries

Sep 29 2024 43 mins

The Federal Government has funded over 400 community batteries to be installed across Australia to provide shared storage for up to 100,000 households. Most of that funding has gone to electricity distributors, the poles and wires companies. One of those companies is Ausgrid, the largest distributor of electricity on the east coast, providing power to nearly 2 million customers. Gr

How an air tight home can reduce energy costs by up to 20%

Sep 21 2024 32 mins

Poor air tightness of our buildings can lead to draughty, leaky, and uncomfortable homes. It can also increase our energy bills by up to 20 per cent. Senior experimental scientist at the CSIRO, Michael Ambrose, has recently completed Australia’s most comprehensive study on the ‘leakiness’ of recently built homes. He found the air tightness of new homes has improved significan

The Tesla-driving sparkie is back to answer householder electrification questions

Sep 15 2024 49 mins

Brendan Lang is an electrician from Melbourne who swapped his diesel guzzling tradie ute for a Tesla. He calls his business Get off Gas and this week he provides answers to household electrification questions, such as: Do I need to rewire my house to install an induction stove? Do I need 3 phase power if I want to go all-electric? Should I insulate my home before I get rid of the g

Why the renewable ‘shiny shoes’ brigade needs to work with local communities

Sep 08 2024 32 mins

A new campaign urging the federal government to invest in local energy hubs in regional areas has kicked off. It follows the release of a recent report by the Regional Australia Institute that suggests Australia’s net zero targets are under threat unless regional communities are given a seat at the table to help drive the renewable energy change. Sally Hunter is a farmer from Gom