There’s something quietly radical happening in our corner of the Central Highlands. Behind the heritage bluestone facades and the woodsmoke-scented winter air, a growing number of households in Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are making a switch that is cutting their energy bills, warming their homes more efficiently, and reducing their contribution to climate change. They are electrifying — and the rest of us would do well to follow.
The Case for Going All-Electric at Home
The logic is straightforward. Most Australian homes run on a mix of electricity and gas, with gas used for heating, hot water, and cooking. But gas is expensive, its prices are volatile, and burning it inside your home produces nitrogen dioxide — a pollutant linked to respiratory illness. Switching to reverse-cycle air conditioning, induction cooktops, and electric heat pump hot water systems eliminates those problems in one go.
Reverse-cycle systems are remarkably efficient. For every unit of electricity consumed, a good heat pump can deliver three to five units of heating or cooling — something no gas heater can match. In a cool-climate region like ours, where winter heating bills can sting, that efficiency translates directly into savings. Add rooftop solar and a battery, and many households find themselves generating most of their own energy across the year.
The upfront costs can seem daunting, but Victorian and federal rebates have made the transition considerably more accessible. The Victorian Energy Upgrades program offers significant discounts on heat pumps, insulation, and draught sealing — the unglamorous but essential complement to any electrification project.
Getting Behind the Wheel of Change
The benefits multiply further when you add an electric vehicle to the mix. Charged from rooftop solar, an EV costs a fraction of petrol per kilometre — often less than three cents per kilometre compared to fifteen or more for a petrol car. For those of us driving into Ballarat or Melbourne for work or supplies, the savings accumulate quickly.
Range anxiety, once a genuine concern, is fading. Modern EVs comfortably cover 300 to 500 kilometres on a single charge, and the public charging network is expanding rapidly. Locally, there are now public chargers in Daylesford, making it easier than ever to top up during a trip to the farmers’ market or a meal on Vincent Street.
Beyond the hip pocket, there is something genuinely pleasurable about a quiet, smooth electric drive through our forested roads — and no exhaust fumes at the school pick-up.
Hepburn Energy: Community Power in Action
What makes this region distinctive is that we don’t have to navigate the energy transition alone. Hepburn Energy — born from the Hepburn Wind project, Australia’s first community-owned wind farm — has been at the forefront of community-led renewable energy since 2011. The two turbines on Leonards Hill remain a visible symbol of what local people can achieve when they act collectively.
More recently, Hepburn Energy has been working to expand community benefit through local energy initiatives, exploring how households can connect their solar, batteries, and EVs into a smarter local grid. Their work reflects a vision where the energy transition isn’t just about individual savings, but about building genuine community resilience — keeping energy dollars circulating locally and reducing dependence on fossil fuels piped in from elsewhere.
A Moment Worth Seizing
The combination of falling technology costs, generous rebates, and strong local leadership from organisations like Hepburn Energy means there has never been a better moment to electrify. Whether you start with a heat pump hot water system, an induction cooktop, or a second-hand EV, each step moves you — and the community — in the right direction.
In a region that has always prided itself on independent thinking and care for the natural environment, going electric isn’t a departure from our values. It’s an expression of them.
Hear more about how to electrify your life at the next Daylesford Conversation on Thursday May 21 from 6-8 pm at the Community Bank meeting room, 113 Main Road Hepburn Springs. Join Taryn Lane from Hepburn Energy in conversation followed by wine and nibbles. This is a free event, but please register here to help with the logistics.
For more information on community energy initiatives, visit hepburnenergy.com.au. To explore Victorian government rebates, visit energy.vic.gov.au.
