Customer members leading the charge to reduce energy use

By Vicky Grosser, CoPower customer member

CoPower inspired me to join the movement to reclaim how our power is produced and sold. It’s been driven for many years by profit. ‘Customers’ have rarely been visible or heard. I’m really pleased to be a member of the new CoPower Energy Efficiency Action Group.

The CoPower Energy Efficiency Action Group met on the 26 October 2023 for the first time. Ten of us came together online – people with lived experiences of the challenges of staying warm or cool in our homes (depending on where we live and what season it is), and knowledge to share as we thought about how to support the creation of homes that will handle the growing impacts of climate change in our communities.  How can we keep the heat out in the months ahead?  What actions can we take to reduce energy use and save money?

The CoPower Energy Efficiency Action Group will focus on the following activities to support our member households over the months ahead.

We will :

• Share Customer members personal success stories through the CoPower newsletter to assist us all with practical and low-cost ways to make our homes more comfortable as they lower our bills. Click here to share your story.
• Monitor the outcome of our smart energy efficiency identifier pilot project, which will use smart meter analysis to identify member households who can benefit from energy efficiency advice and upgrades. This will help to reduce electricity bills and carbon emissions. Click here for more details of the project.
• Put particular emphasis on rental properties which are draughty and hard to live in, especially when hot or cold weather arrives. We heard from group members who are taking action about rental property conditions with State Governments, including sustainability and climate justice at the Renters and Housing Union in Victoria and Energetic Communities in Queensland.

There’s still a warm welcome if you’d like to join this collaborative, friendly and powerful Action Group team. Our next meeting is taking place online at 10am Melbourne time on Thursday 30^th November 2023: Click here to register.