One journey to an all-electric home

Kate* recently retired early from a demanding, professional career. For many years prior to that, she had cared for infirm relatives. Early retirement meant that she did not have as much in her superannuation fund as she would have liked, so she turned her mind to future proofing her expenses, particularly those involved in keeping her house comfortable all year round.

Kate had already draught-proofed her 1980s home, with its four external doors, and double-glazed windows, and had filled in the many gaps in ceiling insulation, as a 5% gap in ceiling insulation can lead to a 50% heat loss.

Using the State Government website www.compare.energy.vic.gov.au she not only found a cheaper provider but also received a Power Saving Bonus of $250.

The previous owner had put 1 kW of solar panels on the roof and thanks to a premium feed-in tariff she was receiving credits on her electricity bills for most of the year. But this tariff was going to end in November 2024. Now that she was at home during the day and using the daytime solar electricity, it was clear that, even before then, there would be no daytime solar credits to offset her nighttime power consumption.

To forestall this situation, she invested in a 6.6kW solar panel array and a 14kW/h battery to increase daytime solar genera-

Crossword

ACROSS

3. Athol Guy was one of the four members of this popular group.

7. Waterproof bedding that when rolled up can carry personal belongings.

8. The capital of South Korea.

10. Who wrote the play “All’s well that ends well”?

14. Norway, Sweden and Denmark make up this European region.

15. Changi Prison was located in this city.

16. In which country is Loch Ness?

Down

1. The district around Mildura.

2. A group of fish is known as a ________.

3. Australia’s ninth Prime Minister.

4. Victorian town noted for its famous foot race.

5. Bendigo was formerly known by this name.

6. Famous site located on Salisbury Plain in the UK.

7. Star sign between 22 November and 21 December.

tion and use it well into the evening.

She also replaced her gas cooktop with a more efficient induction one.

Kate’s home has a gas-boosted solar hot water system. Fortunately, the stainless-steel hot water tank has a port that can accommodate a timed electric element to take care of winter boosting, so that she can now dispense with the continuous flow gas booster.

Now all that remains is to find a home heating solution. In addition to the heated towel rail and overhead heat lamps in the bathroom, Kate recently installed a reverse cycle air-conditioner in the sitting room to see if this would be enough to warm her through the winter. So far so good, and if it is not quite comfortable enough, one more reverse cycle will probably allow her to eliminate gas altogether.

If you would like to explore how you can move towards an all-electric home or business, request an obligation-free consultation from one of the energy experts selected by volunteers from the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group’s GO Renewable Energy Project (www.mrsg.org. au/greg) .

*Name and some personal details changed to maintain anonymity.