Electrifying address by Saul Griffith

by Ana Spataru

Saul Griffith, founder of 'Rewiring Australia' spoke at an event in Eltham last month. Several members of the Village Power Board were fortunate to get tickets to this sold-out event.

Saul Griffith as always talked with passion and conviction. His new book, 'Plug In! The Electrification Handbook' is a timely resource which assists individuals to make the transition to electrification and low-carbon sources as easy as possible. He points out that when thinking about change, a negative framing can be detrimental e.g. thinking of decarbonisation at an individual level as a sacrifice, is not helpful.

In this new book, Saul talks about how making the transition to efficient electric alternatives is good for the pocket, health and community at large. The electrification story is an economic choice for many, and a good starting point. But we need more. So in this insightful talk, Saul offered the crowd that gathered at the Catholic Ladies College Eltham, several core ideas:

1. Electrify big decisions - the most bang for buck comes from electrifying major systems - transport, hot water, space heating, cooking and electricity. To have impact, individuals need to stop worrying about small consumption habits, such as unplugging appliances or turning off wifi

2. Clean electricity is foundational - installing solar power coupled with a home battery is the most effective way of reducing emissions. If millions of homes across Australia do this, we can more easily, and with less cost, reduce emissions. He emphasises that we are still part of a grid, and networks need to also play a role. But as individuals, if we can cover 90 to 95% of our energy needs with rooftop solar and a home battery, this will take us to over 50% of where we will need to be as a nation by 2030

3. Affordability and comfort are key features of a new system - electrification is not about austerity. When done well, it means lower bills, better performance, more comfort. But there are also local benefits. Energy is produced where it’s used. (This is also Village Power’s mission - to share the local benefits of rooftop solar for a speedy transition away from fossil fuel generation)

4. The decision extends to trades - we need more tradespeople to tell people about electric options. When that old gas hot water system finally reaches the end of life, a tradesperson should be equipped to talk about an electric option and have the knowledge to install it. There is a significant gap in this area and Saul argues also a huge missed opportunity for tradespeople to differentiate their services

5. Policy and equity is important - policy plays a role since many of these choices require upfront costs, not only related to the machines themselves, but also the wiring and meter upgrades. Renters need to benefit from these changes too so public infrastructure needs to be developed through governmental intervention at first, and driven by the market thereafter.

We appreciated the time spent with Saul Griffiths, and consider that his view enforces our Local Renewable Energy Program, showing how individual decisions scale up, and how grid, policy, business and home all connect.