The challenges and opportunities of apartment electrification

As household electrification continues apace in Australia's Capital Territory (ACT), what are the unique challenges for apartment communities in shifting to more renewable energy systems? What are the considerations, options and opportunities for whole-building energy systems and services (like hot water and solar system) retrofits? How can electric vehicle charging be provided within existing electrical constraints? What is needed to support decision-making and financing of these changes within these ‘vertical suburbs’? What are the implications for energy system change in the ACT and what role should government play?

Decarbonising existing apartment buildings, particularly electrification and shifting from gas, is a complex and key challenge in the transition towards a sustainable energy system. For the ACT, with close to a fifth of households now living in apartments, it is consequential for reaching our net zero by 2045 target. While apartments present significant technical, governance and social complexities and constraints, this research finds that—with policy support, integrated approaches and forward planning—apartments provide an opportunity to accelerate transition in the ACT, as elsewhere, offering benefits at both household, building and grid scale.

This webinar will share insights, learnings and resources from our Apartment Decarbonisation project. It is aimed at apartment dwellers, owners, decision-makers and managers, relevant policy makers and industry stakeholders.

This one-year project was conducted in 2025-26, with assistance from the ACT Government under the Energy Innovation Fund. We took an integrative, transdisciplinary approach involving case study apartment complexes, which combined in‑depth social research with multi‑energy systems modelling and policy analysis. This integration of qualitative and quantitative data allowed us to understand the lived experience of residents and managers, the limits and opportunities of existing infrastructures, and the policy and regulatory settings shaping change. Our exploration of social, policy and technical dimensions aimed to provide an integrated picture of apartment decarbonisation, in order to support transition pathways in the ACT.

Find out more about the project here.

The event will be recorded and made available online.