Down to the wire: Saul Griffith and Electrify 2515 featured on Australian Story
ABC’s Australian Story recently profiled local resident Dr. Saul Griffith. It was the origin story of his electric dream, but it was also a story about us, our streets, our homes, and the collective choices many are making to demonstrate electrification in action.
The Australian Story episode captured the reality of what the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot looks like: it’s the installation of efficient heat-pump hot water systems and reverse-cycle air conditioning; it’s the transition to rooftop solar and batteries. These are tangible, day-to-day changes are being made by hundreds of our neighbors.
As Saul Griffith says, we are creating a “postcard from the future.”
“We've got an up and running pilot that … was just a concept that we were working hard on as a bunch of volunteers. And then it's actually just kickstarted a whole lot of other things nationwide,” he says.
“It's a lot of two steps forward, one step backwards. But then if you're not maintaining optimism, you're giving up. You just have to keep saying we can do this,” Griffith says.
For many of us, this project has been the antidote to climate despair. We’ve moved from feeling overwhelmed by the scale of the climate crisis to feeling like we can do something. By participating in this pilot, we aren’t just upgrading our appliances; we are proving that electrification is not a sacrifice—it’s a pathway to cheaper energy bills and more comfortable, healthier homes.
Saul’s wife, Arwen explains how Saul’s ‘compulsive optimism’ drives him.
“But he's not the kind of optimist who says technology will solve all our problems. You know, he's saying, we can solve this if we all work together,” says Arwen.
Every induction cooktop installed and every rooftop solar array activated is a data point that helps prove to the rest of Australia that the transition is not only possible but beneficial.
“We have to get 50% reductions by 2030 to stay on target for a climate target we want, so it's go-time for the stuff that works. And if we do all of that as fast as we can, we buy ourselves enough time for the big science funding to come in and create the solutions for steel, for long-distance air travel, for agriculture, because they're not ready yet,” explains Saul.
People in the US are now looking to Australia’s household energy revolution for hope and inspiration.
The Australian Story episode shines a spotlight on Saul, but it’s also testament to the power of our community. Local tradies and householders are the ones doing the work, proving that we can create change, and give our politicians the confidence to do more.
