The Victorian government announced on Wednesday that it is finally expanding its State Electricity Commission (SEC) backed home electrification one-stop-shop to the entire state, paving the way for all Victorians to electrify their homes and cut their energy bills by potentially thousands of dollars each year.
Originally launched in trial form in August of 2024, the SEC Electric Home Planner provides a single point of information and advice on how to save money on household energy bills through the electrification of your home’s energy supply and appliances.
Electrifying household appliances such as hot water systems and home heating or cooling systems has the potential to save households around $1,400 each year, increasing to $2,700 a year when adding a rooftop solar installation.
Initial trials of the SEC Electric Home Planner were carried out last year when it was launched for residents in the inner Melbourne cities of Casey and Merri-Bek, before expanding to include the City of Ballarat and the town of Ballan. And in April, the SEC expanded the program to include the cities of Maroondah and the Yarra Ranges.
The SEC’s “one-stop-shop” and its Electric Home Planner provides information on how to reduce your energy bills by getting rooftop solar or upgrading appliances in your home, offering a tailored plan for your house and connecting you to trusted installers.
The free one-stop-shop calculates all upfront costs, annual bill savings, return on investment, and even applies government discounts and rebates, before connecting users to trusted and verified SEC suppliers and installers.
All Victorians across the state can now access the Electric Home Planner online or by phone (1300 305 700), and can even connect users to verified installers who can make a free house visit to provide a more detailed quote.
The SEC also advises renters to speak to their rental providers about switching to electric appliances. In some instances, rental providers may be entitled to enormous discounts, such as the Victorian Energy Upgrades program, which offers discounts on energy efficient products like hot water heat pumps and reverse-cycle air conditioners, or a $1,400 rebate from Solar Victoria for rental providers who install solar on their properties.
“We know how much households can save when they switch to electric,” said Lily D’Ambrosio, Victorian minister for the State Electricity Commission.
“That’s why the SEC is building a service that will make sure Victorian families can get trusted expert advice to help them make the switch.
“The one-stop-shop will not only help families save money on their energy bills, it will also boost the numbers of trades and installers in Victoria.”
To support the full expansion of its Electric Home Planner, the SEC expects to grow the Morwell-based customer service team as the program grows, and through increased uptake of the Planner, support over 1,000 trades jobs as demand for installers and other trades grow.
The SEC is also planning to open expressions of interest in 2026 for trade and installer businesses that want to be a part of the one-stop-shop. Eligible installer businesses should have expertise in either all efficient electric appliances for the home or specialist expertise in single appliances, including heat pump hot water, solar panels, heating and cooling.
To visit the SEC’s digital planner visit, powerup.secvictoria.com.au, or call 1300 305 700.
