Community Energy Resilience
The importance of greater community energy resilience
Our changing climate means more frequent and extreme weather events and severe storms. This leads to more incidents that can increase the risk and duration of power outages.
Many people, including those in vulnerable circumstances, are unaware and unprepared for extended unplanned power outages, particularly during extreme weather events. There is an opportunity to help customers and communities increase their community energy resilience to cope and recover from extended power outages, including managing their health, safety, and personal & financial wellbeing.
What is the initiative?
This #BetterTogether Community Energy Resilience initiative aims to create greater energy resilience among communities to assist with preparing for and recovering from extended power outages. This initiative plans to address this opportunity by:
- Establishing a Lived Experience Panel to help inform and guide the initiatives outputs
- Co-developing a black-out plan that empowers customers to effectively prepare for black-outs in extreme weather
- Launching a national campaign to encourage Australians to complete black-out plans including support resources for diverse audiences
- Co-developing and establish behavioural insights enquiry project to learn more about what customers are and are not doing to prepare for black-outs and why.
Insights for this #BetterTogether initiative in creating greater community resilience in the face of extreme weather events has additionally been informed by:
- Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, 20 February 2020
- Disaster Planning and Recovery Collaborative Research Project Phase 2 Report, Thriving Communities Partnership 2021
- Planning for the Unplanned: Are you financially ready for a natural disaster? Salvation Army, Moneycare 2022
- Spotlight on natural disasters the long-term customer experiences, EWON 2023
Who is collaborating on this initiative?
Customer + Community Outcomes Group
- Bawley Point resident
- Central Coast Council
- City of Lake Macquarie
- City of Moonee Valley
- Department for Energy & Mining SA
- Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action VIC
- Energy Consumers Australia
- Energy & Water Ombudsman NSW
- Energy & Water Ombudsman VIC
- Erne Energy (TAS)
- Hawkesbury Council
- Hunter Joint Organisation
- Justice and Equity Centre
- Macdonald Valley Association
- Penrith City
- Queensland University of Technology
- QLD Council of Social Service
- Red Cross NSW/ACT
- SES NSW
- Singleton Council
- South-East Water
- State Emergency Service Port Stephens
- Thriving Communities Australia
Industry Collaborators
Our Full Signatories AusNet and Endeavour Energy are leading this initiative, with Ausgrid, Essential Energy and SA Power Networks collaborating.
Community of Practice – Resilience (completed)
This #BetterTogether initiative started as the Resilience Community of Practice which created a platform to share knowledge, learnings and better practice examples to collectively build professional skills and organisational capability to support individual customers and communities to better plan for, and respond to, disaster events.
The Community of Practice Resilience Resource Library can still be accessed, which includes session recordings and additional resources.
Want to learn more about this #BetterTogether initiative?
If you would like to learn more about the #BetterTogether Community Energy Resilience initiative, or join the Community Outcomes Group, please reach out to Bec Jolly, Director, Energy Equity.