Electrify Kiama is a new community group dedicated to helping people to convert their homes and cars to electrification. Photo: Billy McPaul.
A group of Kiama residents dedicated to increasing the use of efficient electrical appliances and cars has launched a community survey.
Following in the footsteps of Northern Illawarra’s successful Electrify2515 project, Electrify Kiama is focused on helping the community to convert homes to full electrification to save money and reduce carbon emissions.
Group member Alexandra McPaul said people in the Kiama area were already keen and on board with this switch.
“There are 41 per cent of households in our municipality with rooftop solar so we are sitting well above the NSW state average of 36 per cent,” she said.
“When it comes to electric vehicles, as of July we are ahead of the state but at 1.8 per cent there is still lots of opportunity to increase take-up of EVs across Australia and in our local community.
“As a group, we want to understand where people in our local community are at with electrifying their households and share information that will support further take-up and action, so we are launching a survey to understand what people already have and what their needs/interests are.”
The survey for people living in the Kiama LGA includes questions about people’s current use of electric appliances and what types of additional electrification, information or events they are interested in. Click here to fill in the survey.
According to Rewiring Australia’s research and projections, by 2030 Australian households could be saving more than $40 billion a year, which is close to – and in future could overtake – the nation’s export earnings from coal.
Alexandra said the electrify movement was about encouraging and supporting people to install rooftop solar, replace gas with efficient induction cooking, use reverse cycle air conditioning (rather than gas), use heat pump hot water (or electric with solar), switch to electric vehicles and use home or community batteries for back-up power.
“Often people feel powerless to make a difference as individuals, this is about coming together as a community to make a difference and share information and knowledge,” she said.
“There are people in our community who have already made the switch, and others who are sitting on the fence, or unsure.
“Through sharing people’s experience and learnings, we hope people will feel more confident to take that next step.
“One local resident told me they recently took their Tesla on a 2300 km road trip to Phillip Island and back.
“They said they spent $170 on chargers and they were mainly on the highway section. They never encountered a broken charger or had to queue.
“Our goal is to connect local residents, professionals, and enthusiasts with the tools and information they need to embrace a more energy efficient and sustainable future.”
For more information about Electrify Kiama and how to get involved, visit Facebook, or email [email protected].
Loading ...
