Michael and Penny’s journey to electrify their 90-year old converted drill hall
The journey so far
When we took possession you could see the sky through the tin roof, so there was no insulation and there were electric radiant heaters. The first thing we did was insulate; we put in very heavy insulation. Next, we started looking at solar options and in 2012, we went ahead and put solar panels on top.
Our next step was to invest in an electric car - that increased our electricity consumption so next we doubled the size of the solar array. At the same time we were able to replace our hot water with a heat pump unit and replace the gas stove with an induction unit. We have done it incrementally when money was available.
Why are you electrifying your home?
Initially we saw it as just the right thing to do. When we first installed the solar, the payback was long, but over time the economic drivers are stronger as energy prices have gone up.
Electrification wish list
The only gas appliance we have left is the hydronic heating. We do have split system units, but the hydronic system is a nicer overall heat. It’s difficult to find heat pump systems to replace the gas unit, we have been quoted very high prices and the units are physically big. We keep looking for something that is affordable. With the shrinking feed-in tariffs from solar, we are looking at a battery, but we want to get a better feel for the right size before taking that step.
What advice would you give other home-owners in Yarra?
A lot of people want to do it all at once. There’s nothing wrong with evolving incrementally into electrification because every step you take is a step in a better direction. Technology is continually changing but solar, induction cooking and heat pump hot water are relatively stable.
