TL;DR: Replacing fossil gas appliances in homes and businesses with off-the-shelf electric alternatives saves money, is anti-inflationary, and builds community prosperity. It’s among the most impactful ways to tackle climate change, and we can do it right now. We built BOOM to help your customers make the all-electric switch.

When the founders of BOOMPower began their mission of curtailing climate change over a decade ago, it was all about incremental action. A five percent saving here, small tweaks and timid steps. The years ticked over and procrastination set in as a sort of global delusion. The homework assignment you meant to get around to… now it’s midnight and panic has set it. Climate change is here, and we’ve already locked in untold destruction of infrastructure, ecosystems and livelihoods.

We remain hopeful. There is still time to limit global warming to <1.5°C, but we can’t wait another decade. While some sectors remain challenging to decarbonise, we can eliminate the emissions associated with living and working in buildings. Electrification is the answer.

 

What is electrification?

We switch space and water heating to heat pumps. They’re not an exotic technology, using the same vapour compression cycle as your fridge and air conditioner. As it happens, the first practical example was invented in Australia in 1851, not far from our head office in Geelong.

We switch to electric cooking appliances, including induction cooktops which provide a vastly superior experience. If you don’t believe us, and many professional chefs, drop $70 on a portable one and find out for yourself.

We switch our petrol or diesel cars for a pure electric alternative. EVs are available to suit the majority of use cases, with new options landing every day.

Finally, the foundation that makes electrification so compelling is our access to abundant, low-cost rooftop solar. Here, Australia rules the world. We have the ability to collect much of the energy we need for everyday life at low-cost, protected from volatile global markets and energy cartels. Even for those without the roof space, community energy and the growing pace of large scale wind and solar makes electrification the cheaper and greener option, right now.

 

Why should you care?

It’s off-the-shelf, ready to scale.

The ingredients are in plain sight. Heat pumps, induction cooktops and solar panels are sitting in warehouses and big box stores across the country at this moment. Thousands of EVs are passing through Australian docks every month. We have the skilled trades. We just need to focus and grow our capacity year on year… no crazy inventions required.

Electrification is energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency isn’t an alternative to electrification… they’re one in the same. Using electricity directly in electric motors, heat pumps and induction cooktops fundamentally uses less energy than combustion. Measures like insulation and draught proofing aren’t strictly essential, but mean we can go further, faster, and be healthier in the process.

It saves money, is anti-inflationary, and builds community prosperity.

Energy costs make up a significant chunk of our household spending, and yet we’ve lost control over them. We import the vast majority of our petrol and diesel. Most of our fossil gas is exported overseas. With that, much of the cash from our pockets has gone offshore too. Electrification breaks this inflationary spiral. Money that went to foreign oil cartels now stays in Australia and can be reinvested. Whatever happens in the world, we can be certain that we’ll be able to heat and cool our homes, and get on with life.

There’s a reason the US Inflation Reduction Act, the biggest ever investment in electrification, is so-named. It goes beyond climate and energy. It’s about building a prosperous life for millions of people. An all-electric utopia.

 

Where does BOOM come in?

We know what has to be done, but we can’t yet flip a switch and make it happen tomorrow. The journey towards electrification is composed of millions of individual decisions. The most impactful are within the grasp of everyday people. Decisions about buying a home, a new car, renovating a kitchen, or replacing a hot water heater when it dies unexpectedly. We exist to make the all-electric option at each of these life moments irresistible, so we may all enjoy the benefits sooner.

 

We’d like to express our gratitude to Dr. Saul Griffith who has been instrumental in translating a wonky concept into a positive vision for the future. We’d encourage you to read his works if you’d like to learn more.