Rewiring Australia, Google launch free AI tool to electrify households

“Electrictify Everything” author Saul Griffith, co-founder of Rewiring Australia and Rewiring America, is taking on a new form as a new AI advisor dubbed Electric Saul, showing households how solar and batteries can slash energy costs.

The non-profit electrification advocate has teamed up with Google on the AI side to launch the new tool that helps households take the smartest next step in going electric. It has a strong focus on how rooftop solar and home batteries can cut electricity bills and shift away from gas.  

The free tool generates personalized electrification plans based on a household’s postcode, type of residence, appliances, vehicles and energy goals. Saul Griffith’s own modeling has long emphasized the role of solar and storage as the backbone of household electrification, and exploring the tool shows the power of battery storage.

To get started, users will enter their location, select whether they are an owner-occupier, landlord, or renter. The tool then goes through eight key items, including heating, hot water, existing rooftop solar, battery storage, number of occupants and vehicles, establishing baseline demand and where electrification helps fastest and easiest, where the electric version of Saul provides a picture of the home’s current energy profile.  

The user can view the estimated savings if the home were fully electrified, including how much additional value a home battery could unlock from existing or future installed rooftop solar. Users can then continue to Electric Saul’s AI assistant, which provides personalized advice. 

Rewiring Australia CEO Francis Vierboom thanked Google’s Digital Future Initiative team on LinkedIn and outlined where Electric Saul works best. 

“This is actually something the latest AI tools excel at – comprehending what *your* specific questions and plans are, and zooming in to the relevant advice a lot faster. So we’re pretty stoked to launch Electric Saul, an AI-powered advisor tool to help you figure out the best next step for going electric… It means we don’t have to wait to do this suburb by suburb. We can be helping thousands of homes asking these questions all at the same time,” Vierboom said.

Next stop, Rewiring America?

The obvious question for the industry is whether or not the same tool could be adapted for use in the US context, given Griffith’s stewardship of Rewiring America.

In response to a question from ESS News, Griffith confirmed his interest in porting it over, but said, without specifying, that he is “facing headwinds” in the US.