2024 Women to Watch
This year we showcase over 80 South Australian women to watch throughout the year. From business, to careers, arts to science. This year’s selected women highlight the depth and diversity of the women in our state and also the vast array of opportunities to develop a business or career in South Australia. Find our more about our inaugural Women to Watch initiative here.
Merrily Hunter, Founder and CEO of MAC Trade Services and Vice President of the Energy Efficiency Council Board, is a visionary leader shaping the future of energy in Australia. Founding MAC in 2014, over the last decade MAC has become South Australia’s largest electrification service provider, upgrading over 5000 homes and businesses annually. In 2022, Merrily spearheaded MAC’s expansion by acquiring ZEN Energy’s engineering division, solidifying MAC’s position as pioneers in solar, battery, and VPP assets across the National Electricity Market. With 15 years of green energy industry experience, Merrily’s vision and leadership has helped shape state energy policies and led to the creation of the award-winning EEIQ training platform, revolutionizing electrification upgrades for tradespeople around Australia.
// Favourite inspirational quote
“We are the first generation to feel the effects of climate change and likely the last to be able to do something about it.” and ” It doesn’t matter how many times you fall over, just how many times you get back up.”
// Let’s get to know you
I left school and home at 15 with a hunger to dive into the real world and make a tangible difference. Although my parents, who I am very close with, initially found my choice challenging, they always encouraged me to forge my own path. A visual learner at heart, I thrived in subjects like environmental science, where I could see the direct impact of my work.
My journey in the energy sector began in 2006 at AGL, where a pivotal crossroads decision led me to discover my passion for green practices and policy. Over eight years, I became known as the energy efficiency expert there, accumulating a wealth of carbon abatement knowledge. In 2012, I took a hands-on approach, working directly with tradespeople and realised the need for simplified policy guidelines in order to engage them and take everyone on the journey, many were visual learners like me and yet energy efficiency was cloaked in this technical jargon and complex standards which was overwhelming for some. It planted a seed in my mind about how onboarding tradespeople needed to be simple, relatable and linked to their learning style.
It was in this same year that I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) a spine disease that effects your mobility. It was a hard time, lots of tests and medications and hospitals but I found a great doctor, got the flares under control and then was able to refocus on my work.
2014 was my crossroads year, my husband was made redundant from his company and only two months later, I was offered a voluntary redundancy too. I spent a few weeks feeling burnt out and not sure of the next steps when I had a friend who ran a trades company in Adelaide contact me, he encouraged me to set up my own business and teach his team about energy efficiency, there was a new initiative coming out the following year and he wanted my help. In that same week, I was contacted by a large energy company asking me to come and work for them setting up the same energy efficiency program that I had for AGL… I had never wanted to run my own business, after watching my Dad spend night after night trying to make his own small business work.. but I did want to help my friend and this other energy company… so I set up MAC Consulting and advised both of them. That was the beginning of MAC.. and it set the stage for an incredible decade long journey.
Over the years, the MAC name was passed around to other companies who wanted to understand more about the various policies and how to set up their own internal governance and train their teams.. the MAC team grew. We couldn’t afford an office at this time so myself and two other team mates worked out of local cafes and even the floor of an art gallery!
In 2017, I became a mum for the first time, and while juggling bubs, we invested all our time and money opening our first office and building the baseplate of EEIQ, an online training platform that could help tradespeople with any reading/writing ability to understand how an energy efficiency upgrade might be different from a traditional appliance upgrade. We put all our training guides and manuals that we had built over the years into animation and film so that it was engaging and overcame any language and literacy barriers, showing tradies what a good job looked like. This snowballed to other technologies like Hotwater, aircon, Refrigeration, LED lighting, Batteries and Virtual Power Plants. This was a tricky period as we didn’t have any family nearby, they were all based up in QLD, so with a new baby and a growing business.. there were more than a few sleepless nights trying to make it all work!
In 2019, I was elected to the Board of the Energy Efficiency Council, shaping policy on a National level. I have served on the Board now for 5 years and it inspires me every day. In 2020, at the height of COVID, the friend who had pushed me to start MAC, asked if I would be interested in buying his large trades business as he was ready to hang up his boots. It made sense that after talking and training the right way to do installs and teaching good governance that we would take the next step and actually do the installation ourselves. So, MAC leveled up and rebranded as MAC Trade Services. This acquisition marked a key milestone in the business, integrating training, installs, and quality site auditing into an end to end installation service.
In 2022, we were approached by ZEN Energy to collaborate, and MAC acquired their Commercial Solar engineering and hardware division, this expanded our services to the B2B market and made MAC the largest energy efficiency and electrification service business in South Australia. In addition to the eyewatering growth of MAC, last year, I finished a marathon 4 years and 11 cycles of IVF marked with the birth of our second child. Today, MAC has blossomed into a team of 45 spread across VIC, SA, NSW and QLD, providing thousands of energy upgrade services nationwide. Our online tradie training portal, EEIQ, received the ‘Best Innovation in Energy Efficiency’ Award in 2018, due to its impact in helping more than 200 tradies move into the green energy sector and revolutionizing how tradespeople learn.
Over the last 10 years MAC has saved more than 8 million Gigajoules of energy out of the Grid through our energy efficiency upgrades in homes and businesses. Throughout my journey in the energy and trades sector, which is traditionally male-dominated, I’ve faced challenges, but they’ve only fueled my determination to pave the way for other women. Diversity has been our strength at MAC, driving our growth and success and I’m very proud to say that we are an even split of women and men across our business and leadership team. Being a mum and building the business has made me committed to having family friendly policies like flexible working arrangements, unlimited sickleave, well-being days and 16 week paid parental leave.. I know first hand how hard it can be to try to juggle all those balls and want my team to feel supported as they grow their own families. Looking ahead to 2024, I’m excited for the pivotal role electrification discussions will play in shaping Australia’s climate future. Last year was the first time we had a Federal Government commit 1 billion dollars towards energy efficiency initiatives, so the future is looking bright!
// What is your goal or intention for 2024? And how are you going to achieve it?
The State Government has announced a 100% renewable energy target by 2027 and that means that the work we have been doing in energy efficiency and industrial decarbonization needs to accelerate.
We can’t be using old inefficient buildings when our energy market is driven by renewables that operate a different way, for example energy now in South Australia is almost free during the hours of 10am-3pm and expensive at night, but not many people are aware of that because they are still on old dummy tariffs and being charged a flat rate regardless of when they use their energy.
We have made the decision as a business to no longer promote residential solar PV as a product in SA (which is a bit controversial) because the payback period just isn’t there for residents anymore, now, we recommend that households invest in a battery and just plug that in during the day – charge it up and discharge it at night when you need it, so you have cheap energy all day and benefit from all the solar already available. My team will be focused on ensuring all households can go on the journey to upgrade their appliances to smart efficient units that can be timed to work during the periods of the day where we have surplus energy and de-energized or load reduced for times when we have the least amount of energy. Renters are a key focus area for my team and I, how do we ensure that all housing stock is adapted for this new environment when renters don’t have a say in the appliances within a home? How do we ensure that during a cost-of-living crisis, technology that is the most efficient is also made affordable and accessible, so that no one is left behind? The more efficient our homes and businesses are at consuming energy the faster we can switch off fossil fuels, get off gas and move to a green energy economy.
// What are you most looking forward to in 2024?
MAC Trade Services turns 10 this year, and I turn 40.. so this year is a year of reflection to see how far the business has come and how much is still to be achieved. I am excited to see our team expand into VIC and NSW. I am excited to see the impact we will make on our first major industrial decarbonisation project that will save over 500,000 Gigajoules of energy over the life of the project and that’s at a single site! I am most excited to see my son turn 2 and hopefully start sleeping through the night…
// What would being a Woman to Watch mean to you?
Greater awareness of our industry and the importance of energy efficiency and electrification. We need to be sprinting to our climate emissions targets if we have any chance of turning this damage around. Energy production is the largest source of carbon emissions in Australia.
The more people who know who we are and what they can do in their own walks of life, the more people might join this challenge and take action. I hope to also inspire other women in my sector to back themselves and consider setting up their own business, there are less than a handful of female CEOs in the energy sector and I would love to see more.
// What would you like to see for the future of South Australian women and girls?
I would love to see more women working in the energy sector and specifically in the trades sector as electricians. I will encourage my own daughter to follow this path. It’s a career that is desperately needed for our world to adapt to a green way of living and one that wont be replaced with AI. There should be more support for tradies taking on apprentices and more encouragement for girls to be tradies and still have flexible working conditions. I dont think there is enough support or adaptation of the working environment in the trades sector to foster greater gender inclusion. The next time you hire a tradie, ask if they have a female electrician or plumber, tell them that you would pay a premium to see that. If there is demand, the market will make it happen.
Get in touch with Merrily:
LinkedIn: Merrily Hunter
Website: www.mactradeservices.com.au
Check out all of the incredible Women to Watch for 2024 here as their profiles are uploaded throughout the year.
To become an SA Woman Member, check out our Membership Options here.