Electrification

SwitchedOn podcast: How I electrified – and why energy efficiency came first

Published by

A cold, draughty Melbourne terrace became the focus of a 25-year effort to improve comfort, cut emissions and reduce energy bills through a series of carefully planned upgrades. Starting with insulation, double glazing and draught-proofing long before electrification entered the mainstream, Anna Molan and Michael Fogarty’s journey reflects the changing realities of Australia’s energy transition.

Their experience shows why an efficiency-first approach can make homes healthier, quieter and far more comfortable while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Along the way they navigated solar, heat pumps, induction cooking, batteries and the practical challenges of upgrading an older inner-city home.

It’s a story of gradual change, informed decision-making and how ordinary households can play a meaningful role in the energy transition while improving everyday life.

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.

Recent Posts

The grid is changing so quickly. Can the rules and regulations that protect consumers keep up?

Regulators and rule-makers are thinking about how to deal with scale and speed of technology…

21 June 2026

Councils call for national climate compensation fund – and they want the polluters to pay

Local governments want a national fund to help pay for the soaring costs of climate…

19 June 2026

Burning forest “waste” to make cement is poor climate policy, poor environmental policy and bad economics

The Australian government has agreed to invest almost $53 million to help upgrade a coal-fired kiln to…

19 June 2026

Delaying clean energy is what really makes power bills soar

What is making us poorer is not the move to clean energy – it is…

19 June 2026

Energy Insiders Podcast: The problem with network tariffs

AEMC chair Anna Collyer discusses the pricing review, network tariffs, and the right of monopolies…

19 June 2026

“Great green incinerator:” Hanson channels Rinehart attacks on wind and solar, but it’s not all it seems

Gina Rinehart and her political protege Pauline Hanson launch new attack on wind and solar,…

19 June 2026