video Energy Transition Dr Saul Griffith urges Illawarra households to electrify these ‘five big things’ Engineer, entrepreneur and climate advocate Dr Saul Griffith says Australians have 20 years to make five upgrades that could help the country meet its climate targets. Tyneesha Williams July 2025
video News Lightbulb moment: How the Illawarra Urban REZ is leading a quiet revolution “The huge advantage of operating a system like that is – if done right – it could democratise equitable access to locally generated, low-cost renewable energy,” Ty Christopher says. Genevieve Swart July 2025
video News An exclusive visit inside one of Australia’s most energy-efficient 10-star homes In these days of spiralling energy prices, how a home is built can make all the difference when power bills arrive, with their growing impact on the household budget. The Illawarra Flame has been granted exclusive access to one of the nation’s most... Jeremy Lasek July 2025
video Energy Transition Plug In! Dr Saul Griffith to launch new book at free Go Electric Open Day in Thirroul With energy bills soaring and the movement toward healthier, low carbon living gathering pace, the time to electrify your lifestyle is now. Whether you’re already on the electric journey or curious about how to get started, mark your calendar for Go... Elsa Evers June 2025
video Energy Transition Gas vs Electric – what’s in a decision? By Denise Aubourg of Electrify Illawarra Not so long ago, installing gas appliances in our homes was a popular choice for cooking, heating and hot water. The phrase “Cooking with Gas” even crept into our language, originally introduced by the... Denise Aubourg June 2025
video Opinion What’s an Urban Energy Zone – and why should we care? The Illawarra could be on the verge of a quiet revolution in clean, local energy, writes Greg Knight of Renew Illawarra A fortnight ago the NSW Government announced the Illawarra will be the site of the first Urban Energy Zone (UEZ). While details... Greg Knight June 2025
video Energy Transition Renters reap electrification rewards with 2515 community pilot Josh lives in Austinmer with his wife and two-year old daughter. With support from their landlords, they are the first tenants to take part in the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot. Josh explains why it’s so important for renters to be involved. What... Elsa Evers May 2025
video Opinion Why we need a Local Energy Hub There is so much change going on in Australia and the rest of the world. Sometimes it can be quite overwhelming. One of the great problems we have as a community and as a society is to be able to guarantee that the information we are getting is... Darryl Best May 2025
video News What’s next for offshore wind? Scientists plot best path for people and planet Associate Professor Michelle Voyer, one of the leaders of the Blue Energy Futures Lab at the University of Wollongong (UOW), is a co-author of the Australian Marine Conservation Society’s roadmap, titled Improving decision-making in relation to... Genevieve Swart May 2025
video News Health concerns drive calls for new homes to be all-electric On the eve of World Asthma Day, about 50 people rallied outside Wollongong City Council’s Burelli Street offices. Their goal: to urge council to make new developments all-electric, with research showing gas stove use is estimated to cause 12% of childhood asthma in Australia. Genevieve Swart May 2025
video Energy Transition Electrify Illawarra busy lobbying for change for all It’s been a busy month. Electrify Illawarra shared a stall with Renew Illawarra at the Corrimal Rotary GreenFest on April 13. We chatted to locals about how they can reduce their bills and carbon footprint by going all-electric. The BYD Dolphin... Denise Aubourg May 2025
video Energy Transition kWhrs: Watt is that? This month I am looking at the way we measure fuel efficiency in our car. I am old enough to remember “Miles per Gallon”. Then we went metric and someone turned it upside-down “Litres per 100km”. Now with EVs, we have kW and kW-hours. So how... Peter Aubourg April 2025
video News Hot tip: Cut costs with the thermal battery already in your home In April, Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen announced a ‘bill busting’ election promise – to roll out a $2.3 billion program to cut home battery costs by 30 per cent and bring down power bills by up to $1100 a year for those... Genevieve Swart April 2025
video Energy Transition Electrify 2515 Pilot welcomes apartment dwellers By Electrify 2515’s Elsa Evers Catherine is an 84-year old retiree who lives in Thirroul with her husband, Reg. They are the first apartment owners to take part in the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot and recently had a new induction cooktop... Elsa Evers April 2025
video News ‘Let me fight for you,’ says Responsible Future volunteer turned Liberal candidate Amanda Ivaneza Responsible Future volunteer turned Liberal Party candidate for Cunningham Amanda Ivaneza tonight urged a crowd of about 220 people at Warilla Bowls Club to “fight for the Illawarra”. Genevieve Swart April 2025
video Analysis What will be the Illawarra’s Energy Future? This election could decide Last week, the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, announced a pause to the Illawarra offshore wind proposal, following a mutual agreement between the government and the sole developer who applied for a feasibility license. The reason? Uncertainty over the upcoming federal election, with the opposition pledging to scrap the plan if elected. The Illawarra Flame March 2025
video News Big Switch: Electrify movement expands all over the Illawarra I grew up in small gold- and diamond-mining towns in South Africa. My father sometimes took us on weekend hikes, while my mother enjoyed a rare moment of peace. As one of five children from a mixed English-Afrikaans family, these simple adventures... Denise Aubourg March 2025
video Motoring & Property Diary of an EV Driver: Charging Away Simplified Part 12 in Peter Aubourg’s column, Diary of an EV Driver It turns out that it is quite a social affair at the charging stations, with people sharing their experiences, and generally helping each other. On the subject of planning the trip, another... Peter Aubourg March 2025
video Energy Transition Thirroul couple electrify old cottage as part of 2515 Community Pilot Tosca, Billy and Chip (1) recently moved into a new home in Thirroul. They’re eager to upgrade their cottage’s old gas appliances with solar and electric ones, so they were chuffed to be selected as one of the first 60 participants in the... Elsa Evers March 2025
video News Deep dive: How oil rig rehab is inspiring ‘nature positive’ wind farm design It’s early days but new research – ironically coming out of the oil and gas sector – has given scientists hope that offshore wind structures could boost biodiversity by becoming artificial reefs, home to sponges, crustaceans, molluscs and... Genevieve Swart February 2025
video Energy Transition Sun’s up, wind stalls: Politicians share their views The solar energy transition continues to gather pace in the Illawarra, with Endeavour Energy recently cutting the ribbon on new community batteries in Warrawong and Dapto. Genevieve Swart March 2025
video Energy Transition Early adopters: Don and Christina’s electrification journey Thirroul residents, Don and Christina, were among the first ten households to join the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot—a program designed to help homeowners reduce energy use and electricity bills. Having already made significant efforts to upgrade... Elsa Evers February 2025