“There are things happening in the residential space, but more could always be happening. There are some moves, for example, in the ACT that all new builds must not have gas connections. That is something NSW should be looking at.”

“The other question is what do you do with the existing 10 million homes and how do we improve and electrify them.“

Clean Energy Council director of distributed energy Con Hristodoulidis said helping households invest in energy efficiency is cheaper and easier than the challenges facing the industry – such as rebuilding power stations and grids to reduce emissions, or building large-scale battery sites.

However, several factors are slowing down this transition. One of those is states and territories have different regulations and targets. Hristodoulidis said a national scheme was needed to help the smaller-scale transition.

Another is the large upfront cost of installing more energy-efficient and renewable technology, which is negated over time. In some cases, state or federal government incentives help with the cost.

For example, household batteries promise to harness solar energy during the day and provide clean and affordable electricity long into the night. A lithium-ion battery can cost between $7000 and $15,000 depending on capacity and model – more than the cost of an electric water heater.

While households’ enthusiasm for batteries has increased steadily over the past few years, it hasn’t grown as quickly as others hoped.

The latest data from solar consulting firm SunWiz shows there has been a 55 per cent growth in solar battery installations since 2021. Almost every jurisdiction, except South Australia, experienced record energy storage system installations last year.

SunWiz’s Warwick Johnston said the spike was driven by consumers wanting to be more self-sufficient and resilient following the pandemic and subsequent economic shock, and by increases in electricity prices.

But he said while battery installations were increasing, their prices remained high.

“[Battery prices] haven’t really shifted and things look like they may head up with inflation,” he said. “Electric vehicles have grown in such great demand that they have soaked up all available lithium supply and people are much more interested in electric vehicles than home batteries.”

He said as more lithium mines, refineries and manufacturing of batteries come online, battery prices will fall.

But he said national subsidies, or an expansion to the solar panel rebate, would allow batteries and other energy-efficient technologies to become more affordable and accessible for many currently priced out of the market.

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