What is Joulie?
Joulie — Just Offering Useful Local Ideas for Electrification — is a free AI advisory service from Electrify the Hutt, designed to answer your questions about electrifying your home or business — simply, honestly, and without trying to sell you anything.
Whether you're wondering if a heat pump is right for your home, curious about what's involved in going solar, thinking about an EV, or just not sure where to start, Joulie is here to help you think it through.
Why Joulie?
Getting good electrification advice can be surprisingly hard. Online information is often fragmented or written for a different country. Commercial advisors naturally have products to sell. Community volunteers can't be everywhere at once.
Joulie fills that gap. True to its name, Joulie focuses on local New Zealand information — trained exclusively on vetted NZ sources including guides from EECA, MBIE, Consumer NZ, and local lines companies — so the answers it gives are grounded in the NZ context, not overseas rules or commercial interests.
What Can Joulie Help With?
- Heat pumps — sizing, costs, how they work, what to look for
- Hot water heat pumps — replacing your old cylinder
- Solar panels and home batteries — feasibility, connection requirements, what to expect
- Induction cooking — making the switch from gas or resistive elements
- Electric vehicles and home charging — what's involved, costs, installation
- Planning your electrification journey — where to start, how to stage it, what to prioritise
- Business electrification — fleet, commercial premises, energy efficiency
What Joulie Won't Do
Joulie isn't a salesperson and it isn't a financial or legal advisor. It won't recommend specific brands or products, and it will always tell you when a question is best answered by a professional. Think of it as a well-informed friend who's done the reading — not a substitute for a qualified installer or independent financial advice.
Where Can I Find Joulie?
Joulie will be available in two ways:
Online — right here on this website, so you can ask questions any time from your phone or computer.
In person — Joulie will also appear as an interactive kiosk at Electrify the Hutt community events, expos, and market stalls around the Hutt Valley — so you can have a voice conversation with it face to face.
Coming Soon
Joulie is currently in development and will be launching later in 2026. Sign up to our newsletter to be notified when it goes live, or get in touch if you have a question that can't wait.