The Shameless Plug with Saul Griffith

The Shameless Plug Episode 9: Thor Denmark

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 04:34:17 GMT

In this special episode of The Shameless Plug, Saul is in San Francisco to meet up with his friend Thor Denmark. Thor has transformed his “forever car,” a 1966 Beetle that ran on petrol for six decades, into a clean, lithium-powered classic ready for the next hundred years. Saul joins him in his own electrified 1957 Fiat Multipla, a six-seat Italian microbus with plenty of personality. This episode is for anyone who loves cars, clean energy, and the thrill of giving old machines new life.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 8: Sarah Aubrey

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 19:00:00 GMT

Actor and electrification advocate Sarah Aubrey joins The Shameless Plug to share how she ditched gas, embraced solar, and went viral turning her Sydney home fully electric. Hosts Saul Griffith and Fiona Whitelaw dive into Sarah’s journey from making home energy upgrades to internet fame, her battles with trolls, and why electrifying your home can be empowering, hilarious - and downright revolutionary.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 7: Katherine McConnell

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:00:00 GMT

Electrification isn’t just tech - it’s finance. Saul and Fiona talk with Katherine McConnell, CEO and founder of Brighte, about how point-of-sale financing helps households afford solar, batteries, EV chargers, and heat pumps. They break down Australia’s new battery subsidy, why tradies are the frontline closers, and a simple way to compare loans: focus on repayments, not headline rates. Katherine also shares lessons from running an off-grid setup and how electrification can shift homes toward mindful, abundant energy use.

You’ll learn why the transition is a move from fuels to finance, how to choose between BNPL, loans, or mortgage redraw, and what the battery rebate means for households right now.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 6: Daniel Bleakley

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 14:06:00 GMT

In today's episode, EV advocate Daniel Bleakley joins Saul Griffith and Fiona Whitelaw to talk about, how he’s gone from activist to entrepreneur in the electric trucking space, his series “Coal Miners Driving Teslas,” and why bringing smiles to diesel fitters can shift the culture war.

We trace Daniel’s journey from coal country in Central Queensland, then into the nuts and bolts of electrifying Australia’s heaviest emitters. We dig into the economics, the coming megawatt charging standard, bi-directional trucks as rolling batteries, and why electrifying long-haul freight could cut costs, clean the air, and make our supply chains far more resilient.

Check out his Youtube channel @CoalMinersDrivingTeslas.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 5: Fred Hopley

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Entrepreneur-turned-energy-nerd Fred Hopley joins us to demonstrate what an all-electric life really looks like - today. Fred has installed a 15 kW rooftop solar system plus a home battery and two EVs, then developed his own home energy management system (on Home Assistant) to orchestrate it all. The result? Around 141% annual self-generation and a negative power bill by smart-charging, exporting at peak prices, and soaking up cheap daytime surplus.

Fred makes a passionate, practical case for tariff reform - especially symmetric network tariffs that pay households the same to export as they’re charged to import - unlocking fairer markets, lower bills, and better use of local wires. You’ll also hear clear takes on Australia’s new battery incentives, fuel-efficiency standards, VPPs, community vs home batteries, the renter split-incentive, and why consumer voices must be at the table as the grid decarbonises.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 4: Karl Jensen

Tue, 16 Sep 2025 20:00:00 GMT

In this episode of The Shameless Plug, we’re diving into one of the biggest hidden energy stories in Australia: hot water. Around 30% of Australia’s domestic energy capacity is used just for heating water. That’s nearly a third of the energy we consume at home - running showers, washing dishes, and doing laundry.

To help us unpack this, we’re joined by Karl Jensen, a leading expert in heat pump hot water systems. Karl is passionate about heat pump hot water systems - yep, passionate - and he is going to explain how we can heat our water smarter, cut bills, and slash emissions - all while enjoying the same comforts at home.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 3: Dan Adams

Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:00:00 GMT

Dan Adams, founder of Amber Electric, is reshaping how Australians use electricity. Amber trades batteries on the electricity market - a game-changer for households and businesses who want their energy to work for them. In this episode, we dive deep into how electricity markets really work, why your bill might not be serving you, and how you can take control in the electrified future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 2: Dr Kim Loo

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 21:00:00 GMT

In this episode, we meet Dr Kim Loo, a GP and an overachieving climate advocate who works with several climate organisations including Doctors for the Environment and Asian Australians for Climate Solutions. She has long been an advocate for electrification and uses kitchen diplomacy by running induction wok cooking classes for sceptical home cooks. She’s so persuasive, she even convinced her 84-year-old mum to make the switch.

Kim's podcast recommendations include What If We Get It Right?, Outrage and Optimism and Finding Nature.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug Episode 1: Chris Kerr

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 21:00:00 GMT

An electric bike was Chris Kerr's gateway to electrification, tired of sitting in Sydney's standstill traffic. Then, during Covid lockdown in 2020, his family spent money from a cancelled overseas holiday on installing solar panels. Soon, he'd electrified his cooking, heating, cooling, vehicles and installed a battery on his six-person home.

Chris says household electrification has brought a return on investment, a return on comfort and a return on environment.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Shameless Plug: Trailer

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 01:52:09 GMT

Introducing The Shameless Plug, a new podcast for making life cleaner, cheaper, and all-electric. Join engineer and climate advocate Dr Saul Griffith and social researcher Dr Fiona Whitelaw as they break down how to electrify your home, car, and community - and speak to some friends along the way. It’s all about real solutions, big ideas, and practical tips to help you plug in to the future.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.