Multimedia

Biggest barrier to electrifying apartments? Knowing what’s possible | SwitchedOn Australia

Published by

Electrifying an apartment building can be complicated, but sometimes the biggest barrier is simply getting started.

Ash Sayers, Director at Keystone, a Melbourne strata management company, explains why residents and owners corporations often assume solar, batteries and EV chargers will be too difficult to install, or won’t be approved. This can leave potentially viable projects stuck in the too-hard basket.

While strata managers can’t drive electrification without a mandate from owners, they can play a crucial role in navigating approvals, common property, contractors and the practical steps needed to get projects over the line.

Sayers shares examples of apartment buildings that have succeeded, and others that have hit genuine infrastructure constraints, and why a good feasibility study can separate the real barriers from the assumed ones.

For more information on apartment electrification, and to find out if your building is eligible for a free electrification feasibility plan, Electrify Yarra, All Electric Homes and Keystone are holding an information session on Tuesday, 18 August in the Fitzroy Town Hall reading room at 6 pm.

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Anne Delaney

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Australia’s most powerful battery set free of massive “shock absorber” contract after delay to Eraring coal closure

Australia's most powerful battery now free to trade its full capacity on market after its…

10 October 2026

Look, no turbines! Natural landscape returns at site of decommissioned wind farm

The site of one of Australia's very first wind farms now shows little evidence of…

10 October 2026

Kudos where it’s due: Australia’s quiet role electrifying the rallying cry for the COP we never got to host

The "35 by 35" electrification goal has an Australian origin that the government seems to…

9 October 2026

The Queensland LNP plan for coal-powered data centres could cost taxpayers $20 billion a pop

If we fail to ensure data centres pay for new renewables and storage to cover…

9 October 2026

Home batteries and time-of-use tariffs may be best combination to steer households away from evening peaks

Home batteries look like resetting the behaviour of households when it comes to responding to…

9 October 2026

South Australia won’t reach its 100 pct net renewables target on schedule, but it won’t be the fault of households

South Australia energy minister hints that the 100 pct net renewables target may not be…

9 October 2026