Go electric on a budget
Making the switch doesn't have to happen all at once or cost a fortune.
Lisa and Kristie have been slowly tapping away at their unrenovated Preston weatherboard house for eight years, and are now one appliance away from having an all-electric home.
"We didn’t have a lot of money, and couldn’t afford a full renovation, but we wanted to reduce our household emissions as much as possible so we worked out what would give us the best bang for buck," they said.
"The house came with an old electric storage hot water unit, which was generating huge electricity bills, so we started by installing 5kw solar panels (through Darebin’s Solar Saver Program) and a timer so that our hot water now heats up during the middle of the day. Our electricity bill immediately reduced by half. We also started running our washing machine and dishwasher in the daytime to make use of the solar power, and that’s really helped too."
"It feels good to look back and realise we’ve got to this point without having had to make any radical moves – we’ve just taken it step by step."
The next step was to add insulation in the ceiling and replace the gas heater with an efficient split system. "We installed evaporative cooling when we moved in, which we love, so we opted for a floor unit reverse cycle air conditioner, as we really only use it to heat our living room. It’s handy for cooling though for days when air quality is poor or on really humid days."
They were pleasantly surprised by the reduction in their gas bill – and the efficiency of the unit which heats the room quickly. "We tend to just heat the one room, and once we got the insulation we found that the house stayed stable enough that we could just use single panel heaters in the bedrooms on the rare occasion we needed extra warmth."
"Our tenants have told us they’re saving around 20% on their energy bills compared to their previous gas-powered home. As landlords, we’re glad that our tenants can benefit from cheaper bills and cleaner air."
When their second car broke down, they bought an electric cargo bike and have used it for years to take their daughter to school and other day to day activities. Their daughter prefers it to the car and it’s free to run as they charge it from their solar power during the day.
Importantly, Lisa and Kristie have a plan for replacing their hot water unit when it breaks down: "We know that heat pumps are much more efficient, and we have done our research so that when this older unit breaks down we know which heat pump we want, and who installs them in our area. Now we are living elsewhere and renting out our house, it feels good to know that our tenants won’t be stuck without hot water while we try to work out what to do next."
The gas stove is the only gas appliance left in their home. When money allows, they plan to replace it with an induction cooktop and electric oven. In the meantime, they have let their tenants know that a portable induction cooktop is an option.
Find out more
Follow the six steps to an all-electric home.