Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last weekend I was pleased to partner with Bayside City Council to host the Bayside Home Energy Efficiency Expo. This groundbreaking event brought our community together to explore ways to help make houses and apartments more energy efficient, exploring insulation and draught proofing, solar panels, induction cooking, batteries, electric vehicles and more. Members of our community were involved in discussing what action is taking place at the federal level, at the local council level and at the community action level and what people can do in their individual homes. I shared the stage with Bayside City Council Deputy Mayor Jo Samuel-King; local community leader Nina Sharpe; and Tim Forcey, the founder of the Facebook page My Efficient Electric Home, which has more than 82,000 followers.

The event was attended by several hundred people, in an extraordinary show of interest. That shows us many things: that the community want to actively participate in driving down their emissions, and they want to know what we're all doing together to do that. It shows that levels of government can successfully work together to actively engage with households to help drive change and support the process of making homes more efficient, whether they're privately owned or rentals. It shows that the social licence for this change exists within our community and that people want to be actively engaged in working together. It shows that people want to talk face to face with those who have practical experience with installing panels and hot-water systems, getting off gas and electrifying everything. It shows they want to sit in an electric vehicle and discuss how actual owners have overcome their range anxiety or charging concerns—and thanks to the Victorian EV Association and vehicle owners who brought their cars along and shared their knowledge. Above all, it shows people want to understand how they can address their cost-of-living concerns by taking up renewable energy.

An interesting fact from Tim Forcey is that people can reduce their winter heating costs by 60 per cent by using their reverse-cycle air conditioner for heating instead of their gas ducted heating. And, if you're renting, you can place bubble wrap on your windows, especially those in rooms that you don't look out of much, and it can perform comparably to double glazing. This was a great practically oriented event. Thanks to all of those who attended, participants and especially Bayside City Council for your collaborative commitment to reaching net-zero.