For Alix and Jode, electrifying their home was life-changing
Alix and Jode have been progressively electrifying their home over the last three years. Their switch to induction cooking was a revelation!
Electrify Yarra spoke with them recently in their North Fitzroy terrace.
Why electrify?
For Alix and Jode, electrifying their home was all about doing right by the environment. Jode’s work with Doctors for the Environment played a big part “seeing the effects of gas at home on health was a huge inspiration to electrify,” she says. Their 16-year-old son’s passion for sustainability gave them the final push to make a change that felt both natural and necessary.
What was your electrification journey?
Their electrification journey kicked off during COVID. “We were together in the house all the time working from home and home schooling, and saw our energy consumption go up. We realised we needed to do something about it,” says Jode.
They started small, checking the roof structure was ok, then adding solar panels to the roof and tracking their energy use on their phones.
Alix - the cook of the family - also transformed the kitchen, simply and cheaply by swapping out gas burners for two portable induction cooktops, and replacing a conventional oven with an air-fryer electric oven. The change has been especially important for managing his MS. “I’m really sensitive to heat and cold, and switching to electric has brought the room temperature under control and has been life-changing. I couldn’t recommend it more for someone with issues like mine,” he says.
Alix found the appliances they chose gives him full control over his cooking and two cooktops are sufficient for a family of three.
To reduce energy use for heating and cooling, Alix and Jode also installed an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) system in the ceiling. This passive air exchange system transfers filtered warm air from the roof space into their rooms, and in summer transfers cool air from the roof at night and helps to keep them cool. Alix also stresses the importance of draught-proofing and rethinking traditional glass windows and doors in older houses, which often don’t provide sufficient insulation.
The HRV system worked well so they removed their old gas column heater, which they found - to their shock - was poorly vented and was probably building up dangerous carbon monoxide inside their home.
Next, they installed two home batteries to store and use their solar power — a decision made easier by the government’s Cheaper Home Batteries initiative.
To their disappointment, the battery installation was too close to their gas meter to be certified, so there was only one thing for it - swap out their last gas appliance - hot water - and remove the gas meter and supply. Soon after, a heat pump hot water system was installed, the gas meter removed and the batteries were certified and ‘turned on’. Alix and Jode just celebrated their first 24 hours of energy independence, with nothing needing to be drawn down from the grid.
What lessons have you learned along the way?
Alix reflects that one of the biggest lessons is the value of learning from others in the community. “To learn more from neighbours and friends - especially on tradie recommendations - and jump in sooner with the induction cooktop,” he says.
Electrification is a journey. They were initially thinking that three-phase power would be necessary. On digging into it with their supplier they found that this was a costly and difficult thing to do since their power supply would need a significant and costly upgrade since the connection was fairly old and relied on their connection with nearby terrace houses, some of which are rented.
The good news is they found all their electrification has been well within their single phase capacity.
Finally, Alix warns owners of older houses to take care to balance draught-proofing with keeping sufficient air circulation, if gas appliances are still being used.
What’s on your wish list?
Alix says he wishes to do more for the house for better insulation and probably look deeper into draughtproofing. They are very happy with the impact of their work so far.
