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

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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.

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