It’s late 2025 Nov the conference circuit in Melbourne has moved from DIY & Construction to Energy. And it’s ‘electrifying’! From “All Electric” at the end of October to “Everything Electric” mid November, I’m learning more and more on the direction of home energy generation and consumption. Here’s some key learnings from the latest round of conferences.
1. Lack of Women – I’m such an advocate for women in energy, construction and home energy management. In my home, I make it all work. That is the bills, appliances and when I use them. Makes sense that we get the gals interested and engaged in decision-making on home energy.
2. Batteries and Chargers for the home are getting smarter. Not necessarily simpler but definately smarter. There’s a range of smartness available that can cross over into the downright confusing. Where do you start? Take time to learn your current energy load, usage and lifestyle (start with your bill), then find a battery solution to fit. Believe me, reverse engineering is going to confuse the best of us.
3. The Vehicle to Grid and multi-dimentional energy flow is exciting and we should be getting ready to be able to trade our own energy. Yes, homes will soon have choices on where and what time to trade excess energy back into the grid. There’s opportunities to be made in this space and I’m really interested from an investment perspective to calculate potential $$ returns. Savings are great, but what if you can make money also?
4. The EV range is expanding for 2026. Even in a short time frame there are so many EV’s on offer that it’s an exciting time to test drive. I met my friend there who is an inner city dweller and is often transporting 5 adults. He’s still dreaming of the central Australian holiday and holding off an EV for infrastructure to support that. My reaction (after breaking down in an ICE vehicle for reasons other than fuel in the outback) is hire a vehicle for that trip. Don’t make your buying decision on a potential 3 week drive that you haven’t planned yet. Deal with your daily commuter first. You’ll love it.
and finally.
I saw some new players in the home electricity market who specialise in upgrades or solar or chargers. And there are many of them. Specialist hot water, cooking, batteries and chargers.
You can choose a company to come and upgrade your individual appliances, but they only do half the work. Will they be around when the industry moves off rebates? Are they domestic electricians also? Do you have faith that they will honour the warranties? You need a wholistic approach and someone who has been around for years.
If your local electrician can also take care of your appliance upgrade needs, batteries, solar, chargers AND help you with Victorian Government Rebates, Solar and Battery Rebates, then go with them. You’ll be happy you did.
