PODCAST · news
SwitchedOn Australia
by RenewEconomy
Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.
Episodes
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Why the old tradie business model won't deliver all-electric homes
Australia is spending billions encouraging households to electrify, but are we building an industry capable of delivering the transition? Trent Jones, founder of Melbourne-based All Electric Homes, warns that Australia faces a serious shortage of skilled tradespeople, and the traditional trade...
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Why electricity is now central to the fight against poverty
Nearly 750 million people around the world still live without reliable electricity, limiting access to healthcare, education and economic opportunity. Global Citizen co-founder Michael Sheldrick explains why the international anti-poverty movement is now putting clean electricity at the centre of...
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How a few determined volunteers – “who had no experience” - put an entire suburb on the path to electrification
Four years ago, a handful of Canberra volunteers set out to prove that entire communities could move from gas and petrol to efficient electric homes and transport. Their campaign has now become Go Electric, a major ARENA-backed pilot helping up to 1,000 households electrify through a coordinated...
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The “Goldilocks” energy upgrades package that could slash rental bills
As NSW considers minimum energy-efficiency standards for rental homes, Renew has modelled what different levels of upgrades would mean for tenants’ comfort and power bills. Its research found that even basic improvements can make homes healthier, but may increase bills when renters begin using...
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Can a new alliance fast-charge Australia’s electrification push?
Australia is a world leader in rooftop solar and home batteries are booming. But electricity still only accounts for around 21 per cent of the energy we consume. So why are we still burning so much gas, petrol and diesel when renewable electricity is increasingly cheap and abundant? More than 30...
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How retailers are standing in the way of cheaper power
Tim Ryan argues Australia is trying to build a 21st-century, consumer-led electricity system while preserving retailers as compulsory ‘middlemen.’ But retailers are businesses that have little incentive to help households use less electricity or pay less for it. And innovations such as Solar...
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How three hours of free Solar Sharer power can cost you more
Three hours of free electricity sounds like a great deal, but Solar Sharer could leave some households paying more. Energy Futures Network director and electrical engineer, Ty Christopher argues a good policy has been undermined by the way it was designed and regulated. He says higher daily…
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Why charging your electric vehicle at lunchtime will save on costly grid upgrades
As Australia moves toward an all-electric future, a key question looms: how can we meet the surge in electricity demand that will be needed when we all drive electric vehicles, heat our hot water with electricity, cook with induction stoves and heat and cool our homes with reverse cycle air...
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The biggest barrier to apartment electrification? Knowing what’s possible
Electrifying an apartment building can be complicated, but sometimes the biggest barrier is simply getting started. Ash Sayers, Director at Keystone, a Melbourne strata management company, explains why residents and owners corporations often assume solar, batteries and EV chargers will be too...
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How I electrified: the apartment owner who refused to accept ‘no’ for an answer
Rowan Hearne was initially told he couldn’t install a hot water heat pump in his 1980s Canberra apartment. Instead of accepting "no," he worked with installers, engineers and his strata manager to find practical solutions that allowed him to replace gas hot water with a heat pump, improve...
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Why it took eight years to install a community battery
After eight years, Melbourne community group Village Power is finally about to switch on its long-awaited community battery. But the project that emerged is very different from the one its volunteers originally set out to build. Village Power president Graeme Martin explains why the journey…
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Why many Australian consumers want less to do with the energy system
Australian households may be feeling slightly less pressure paying their energy bills, but the latest Consumer Energy Report Card from Energy Consumers Australia shows the cost of electricity remains a major concern. The ECA’s Executive Manager of Analysis and Advocacy, Ashley Bradshaw, explains...
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Why Australia's battery boom isn't becoming a virtual power plant boom
Virtual power plants have been talked about for years as a crucial part of Australia's clean energy future. But a recent ACCC Electricity Inquiry found fewer than one in four battery owners have signed up to a VPP, despite participants typically paying lower electricity bills than households with...
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Why electricity networks need to understand people, not just poles and wires, to avoid costly grid upgrades
For years we've been told that widespread electrification could overwhelm Australia's electricity networks. But midway through the Electrify 2515 trial, Endeavour Energy, the project’s network distributor, says the biggest influence on the grid is customer behaviour – when and how customers use...
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Why battery owners - not renters - could be the big winners from Solar Sharer
The Federal Government's new Solar Sharer scheme promises households in New South Wales, South Australia and south-east Queensland three hours of free electricity every day, but who will actually benefit? Ronald Brakels from Solar Quotes explains why the policy has been introduced to soak up...
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Why apartments could be at the forefront of renewable energy adoption, rather than an afterthought
Australia's rooftop solar and battery boom has largely bypassed the millions of people who live in apartments, creating a growing energy divide between homeowners and everyone else. Allume Energy co-founder and CEO Cameron Knox explains the technical, legal and governance barriers that have kept...
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The hidden energy guzzler in 1.3 million Australian backyards - and how it could help the grid
Swimming pools don’t usually feature in discussions about household electrification, yet Australia's 1.3 million pool pumps consume a surprisingly large amount of electricity and can make up nearly 20% of a household’s electricity bill. Together Energy co-founder Patrick Michel discusses why pool...
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How I electrified: Why energy efficiency came first
A cold, draughty Melbourne terrace became the focus of a 25-year effort to improve comfort, cut emissions and reduce energy bills through a series of carefully planned upgrades. Starting with insulation, double glazing and draught-proofing long before electrification entered the mainstream, Anna...
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Inside the world’s largest battery electric ferry
Right now, the world’s largest fully battery-electric ship sits in Hobart’s Derwent River, waiting to be put into service. The 130-metre China Zorrilla, built by Tasmanian shipbuilder Incat, will carry more than 2,000 passengers and 225 vehicles between Argentina and Uruguay entirely on battery...
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Why Australia’s energy devices need a common language
Australia’s energy system is increasingly relying on households. With more than four million homes now sporting rooftop solar, and batteries, EVs and smart appliances rapidly growing, consumer energy resources are becoming central to how the grid operates. But there’s a problem emerging beneath...
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Opening the front door to the sustainable energy transition
Ahead of Sustainable House Day, Helen Oakey, CEO from Renew explains how Australians are retrofitting, electrifying and rethinking the places they live. What began more than 40 years ago as a niche showcase for solar homes has evolved into a nationwide snapshot of the energy transition playing…
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How I Electrified: the unexpected payoffs from ditching gas at home
Richard Smithers and his partner Lisa have taken their family home in Melbourne fully off gas, but it wasn’t part of some long-held masterplan. When they renovated in the early 2000s, climate concerns were there, but electrification wasn’t the priority. Several years later, a mix of timing,...
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Why are some home batteries so cheap?
Home battery installations are surging under the federal rebate scheme, alongside a wave of marketing promising massive systems at bargain prices and energy independence. But installing a battery involves more than plugging in a piece of hardware. How its installed is just as important, as well…
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The tax tweak that could cut renters energy bills
Gas prices are rising as global conflicts tighten supply and expose Australian households to volatile international markets. But millions of renters remain locked into using gas, even though cheaper electric alternatives like heat pump hot water systems are easily available. The barrier is a…
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The hidden crisis behind rising electricity disconnections
Electricity disconnections are meant to be a last resort in Australia. There are rules designed to protect people who get electricity bills — retailers are supposed to offer payment plans, hardship support, and only disconnect when there’s no other option. But as households buckle under the...
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The plug-in solar hack that’s now booming in Germany
Balcony solar, small, plug-in systems you can hang off a balcony or fence, has exploded in Germany, with millions of households now generating their own power. Low cost solar panels and micro-inverters, regulatory changes that allow simple plug-in installation without the need for an electrician,...
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How households are reshaping the role of electricity networks
As rooftop solar, home batteries and electric vehicles transform how energy is generated and used, Australia’s electricity networks are being forced to adapt. At last week’s Energy Networks conference in Adelaide, consumer energy resources were top of mind for many network leaders, even though...
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Community benefits in renewables: How regional Australia can share the gains
As renewable energy projects expand across regional Australia, the question of who benefits is becoming increasingly important. Governments are introducing community benefit guidelines to ensure host regions share in the economic gains – WA is the latest - but results so far have been mixed. Kim...
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Are solar households shifting electricity costs onto everyone else?
Rooftop solar, home batteries and smart technology are transforming Australia’s electricity system and helping many households cut their power bills. But a controversial draft review from the Australian Energy Market Commission has sparked debate about whether electricity pricing is shifting…
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How will the data industry control the future of clean energy?
What if the clean energy transition is ultimately led not by utilities or renewable energy companies, but by the data and AI industry? Luis F. Gonzalez, Chief Data and AI Officer at Aboitiz Power, argues that as data and energy become more intertwined, it will be the data sector that finances,...
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The home battery lock-in no one warned you about
Australia’s home battery rollout is accelerating, but many households may not realise they’re buying systems that are effectively locked to a single manufacturer’s software. Tech entrepreneur Simon Hackett explains why a lack of interoperability strips consumers of real control over batteries...
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How apartments and renters can plug into solar, if the rules change
Apartment residents are largely shut out of Australia’s rooftop solar advantage, with only 3.5% of apartments having solar. In this episode of SwitchedOn Australia, we explore whether balcony solar could change that by allowing apartment owners and renters to plug into cheap, clean power without...
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Why energy companies should be forced to act in their customers best interests
Australia’s retail energy market promises competition and choice, yet many households feel confused, overcharged and stuck. Former chair of Victoria’s Essential Services Commission Ron Ben-David argues the problem isn’t just high prices, but a market design that assumes consumers behave like...
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The community that set the rules of engagement when wind and solar came to town
When renewable energy developers first approached the Hay Shire Council in south-west NSW, the council saw both opportunity and risk. With the region designated as a Renewable Energy Zone and major wind projects on the horizon, they knew the energy transition could bring real benefits, but also...
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Saul Griffith wants a consumer army to lead the fight for a cheaper energy system
Last August, Dr Saul Griffith joined SwitchedOn Australia live on the Gold Coast to talk about his new book Plug In! which shows why households are central to driving Australia’s clean energy transition. He explains how electrification can cut emissions fast, save money, and reshape the way we…
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Future-proofing footy – the climate solutions strengthening local clubs
Grassroots footy is already feeling the heat of climate change, from flooded clubrooms and damaged ovals to training sessions cancelled as temperatures climb. Footy for Climate CEO Lex Lynch explains how nearly 600 community footy clubs have needed emergency assistance since Black Summer…
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The embedded network that takes a village, and powers it
At Narara Ecovillage on the NSW Central Coast, residents have built something rare: an embedded network and electricity retailer that’s owned and run by the people who use it. NEV Power, their volunteer-driven, not-for-profit utility, coordinates rooftop solar, a community battery and a smart...
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Solar Sharers meets reality – why leaky homes could undermine the promise of lower energy bills
Last winter, Declan Kelly set out to test whether a retail plan offering three hours of free electricity could heat his Central NSW Coast rental for nothing. The experiment, which previews what millions of households may soon try under the Federal Government’s Solar Sharers scheme, revealed just...
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Gas company shutdown pushes regional towns onto LPG, not efficient electric alternatives
Ten regional Victorian towns have been told their gas supply will be shut off next year because the gas company, Solstice Energy, says it’s too expensive to deliver. Around 1,145 households in places like Marong, Swan Hill and Orbost now have to choose between shifting to bottled LPG or…
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Are households becoming shock absorbers for the energy transition?
Australia could soon be throwing away huge amounts of renewable energy simply because there’s nowhere for it to go. It’s partly why the Federal government has announced its Solar Sharer scheme – a way for households to mop up free, excess electricity for 3 hours in the middle of the day. But is...
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How the renewable construction boom can help fix the crisis in regional housing
Australia is on the cusp of building more renewable infrastructure in the next decade than in the previous three combined, but the way we build it could make or break regional communities. One of the biggest challenges isn’t turbines or a transmission towers, it’s housing: where will thousands of...
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1 in 3 energy retailers potentially greenwashing – and the government program that let’s them
Parents for Climate CEO Nic Seton unpacks the next chapter in the group’s fight against misleading climate claims. After securing a major settlement against Energy Australia earlier this year — which led to an apology to 400,000 customers and the withdrawal of the company’s Go Neutral product —…
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The power of good rules – how regulation builds trust in the energy transition
This week’s hearings of the Senate inquiry on information integrity on climate and energy revealed how deeply divided the national conversation about renewables has become. Even as Australia accelerates the rollout of new transmission lines, solar farms and wind projects, many regional…
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Weekly power cuts - the scandal of prepaid electricity in First Nations communities
Tens of thousands of First Nations households across northern Australia are living with the constant threat of power cuts — some being disconnected from electricity nearly every week. Lauren Mellor from Original Power and Dr Tom Longden from Western Sydney University discuss their new report, The...
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The misinformation machine – how doubt fuels delay
Australia’s clean energy transition is colliding with a surge of misinformation — from viral claims about whale deaths caused by off-shore wind farms to industry-backed ‘community’ campaigns designed to sow doubt about renewables. Disinformation is now pervasive and coordinated. It damages...
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A carbon price Australia might finally agree on
Australia’s electricity sector is decarbonising — but not fast enough. While the Renewable Energy Target has been doing the heavy lifting to incentivise the rollout of wind and solar, it doesn’t require fossil fuel generators to cut their emissions. For years governments have avoided putting a...
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Make embedded networks work for consumers and the energy transition, not profits
Embedded networks — private electricity systems in apartments and housing communities — could become a cornerstone of Australia’s clean energy future, helping residents generate, store, and share renewable power. But without urgent reform, they risk trapping households in systems that serve…
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Is the cheaper home batteries scheme ‘a colossal wasted opportunity’?
The federal government’s Cheaper Home Batteries Program is being hailed as a clean energy win, cutting installation costs and driving more than a thousand new batteries into homes every day. But Reposit Power co-founder and CEO Dean Spaccavento calls it “a colossal wasted opportunity.” He says...
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How to escape the gas death spiral
Australia’s gas network rules are outdated — and consumers are paying the price. Energy Consumers Australia (ECA) warns that without reform, vulnerable households could be trapped in a ‘gas death spiral,’ facing ever-rising bills as others switch to electric. To fix this, the ECA wants new gas...
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CHOICE vs the energy ‘saver’ plans that actually cost you more
Energy retailers are making bold claims about savings, but are they misleading, or even breaking the law? Australia’s leading consumer advocate, CHOICE, thinks so. They’ve launched their first-ever super complaint under a new framework that lets them bring serious, systemic issues directly to the...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.
HOSTED BY
RenewEconomy
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does SwitchedOn Australia have?
SwitchedOn Australia currently has 154 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is SwitchedOn Australia about?
Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.
How often does SwitchedOn Australia release new episodes?
SwitchedOn Australia publishes regularly with 154 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to SwitchedOn Australia?
You can listen to SwitchedOn Australia on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts SwitchedOn Australia?
SwitchedOn Australia is created and hosted by RenewEconomy.
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