The Electrify Bouddi experience

In Killcare on the NSW Central Coast, Electrify Bouddi is helping residents accelerate the shift to clean energy. Local journalist Michael Troy reports.

There’s a small community on the Central Coast of NSW that clearly prefers to stay below the radar, but is attracting a lot of attention for its success in tackling climate change.

In fact, a recent car insurance survey ranked the Central Coast suburb of Killcare (situated on the Bouddi Peninsula) as the second-best “hidden gem” in Australia, thanks to its surrounding national parks and stunning beaches. And still, it has a very low social media profile.

It’s a bit of a case of “don’t tell anyone” among the locals, yet they’re justifiably way ahead when it comes to reducing their energy usage, with the number of rooftop solar panels doubling across the suburb’s 1400 households in just a few years, producing the equivalent of a three-megawatt power plant.

Frustrated with waiting for government to take the lead on electrification, in late 2023 a few locals got together and formed the not-for-profit community association Electrify Bouddi.

One of them was Susan Biggs, who was renovating her home and wanted to make it energy efficient but didn’t know where to start.

“I feel very passionate about the mess my generation has left to the kids and grandkids and want to do something about it,” she says. “I was newly retired and looking for some way to use a career of skills in senior management.”

Susan put her hand up to help organise the launch of EB and took on the role of vice-chair. Mark Ellis, who has an energy background, was elected chair, and was amazed at the calibre of highly talented people wanting to get involved.

“The thing about this community is that people come from a lot of different places and backgrounds, but they all love being here and want to see it flourish,” Mark says. “Electrify Bouddi provides the opportunity to come together to do something really positive for where we live—and people love the chance to get to know each other a bit more!”

Volunteers like teacher Mia Stott were drawn to the promise of practical action.

“Reducing emissions locally might seem small in the grand scheme of things, but it does matter what we do in our homes, which consume lots of energy and so account for lots of carbon emissions,” she says.

“Some of us have some technical knowledge because we’ve installed solar panels, heat pumps, batteries, or drive EVs and can share our lived experience. Others have skills in policy writing, environmental law, fundraising, social media and web design, writing articles, running great meetings and making videos.”

Susan says Electrify Bouddi quickly gathered speed and now has 250 members.

“Over the past year we have held three Q&A forums (EVs, batteries, and making your house more energy efficient), an Energy Action Day with a cooking demo on an induction cooker, a very fun trivia night with energy questions, a great AGM/Christmas drinks event, and a film night for families,” she says.

“Our website is a triumph and is packed with fantastic information for anyone seeking to make their home more energy efficient. Check it out at electrifybouddi.org”.

While everyone notes that getting the organisation up and running has been a lot of work, Mark says he’s enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with community members.

“Getting to know people and making new friends has been a big part of the experience,” he says. “There is also a great sense of achievement in seeing our efforts bear fruit and be appreciated. The challenging things are chiefly around finding new ways to engage people and keeping them motivated, amid so many competing claims on their time.”

“Ultimately, we are empowering our community to take back control of our energy resources—which means everyone has to make a series of choices about how they use and source energy. Helping people to understand these choices and pick a pathway that suits them is therefore so important.”

Mia says the impact is probably bigger than they even realise.

“We’ve absolutely increased the amount of information our community can access about renewable energy,” she says. “Our website is awesome. We have directed many locals towards reliable, trusted installers of solar panels and heat pumps, for example.”

“We have helped reduce carbon emissions locally. We’ve seen more solar panels go up, more home insulation upgrades, more heat pumps and induction cooktops installed, and like everywhere, more electric vehicles.”

Susan says planning is well underway for the year ahead.

“We have a huge program of work on the horizon,” she says. “We also have a couple of outstanding grant applications, which, if successful, will allow us to expand our work to specifically target home comfort levels for low-income cohorts, and expand the electrification work into other parts of the Central Coast.”

Susan’s advice for others looking to do the same is to start now.

“Join the 100-plus other groups around Australia who don’t want to wait for governments to lower emissions. Being part of a community energy group is a fun and engaging way to make a difference in the world—and it’s even more gratifying when it’s in your own small part of the world.”

Mark recommends starting with what the community wants and what resources you have available, before having too fixed an idea of what you are going to do.

“Big projects, such as solar farms or community batteries, require long lead times and lots of resources, so it can be hard to sustain interest over five or more years if there is little to show for it. The reality is that some people will have the time and energy to get fully involved, but others just want to give occasionally and be asked to do certain tasks. You should think about how you can accommodate this. But also, don’t be afraid to approach specific people with skills and ask for their help.”

One of the highlights for Mia has been the trivia nights, which are hugely popular and raise significant funds. As a volunteer, she also has this advice for others thinking about joining a similar group: “You don’t need experts, just committed people. The skills will emerge. The knowledge will grow. Confidence builds as you go. The power really is in your hands. You and your community can generate change.”