Michael Caton and Steve Menzies tackle bill shock for VoltX

The Castle star Michael Caton and NRL Hall of Famer Steve Menzies have become neighbours for VoltX Energy, fronting a new campaign that uses exercise bikes, binoculars and a bill-shock support group to sell the case for home batteries.

The three 30-second ads build around VoltX’s message that rooftop solar without battery storage is only part of the household energy equation, with Caton playing the knowing neighbour to Menzies’ increasingly elaborate attempts to bring down his electricity costs.

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Bill shock, exercise bikes and half a dam

In one execution, Menzies recruits Manly Sea Eagles players to pedal exercise bikes as makeshift generators, a plan that comes unstuck when the players tire and his wife wants to use the oven.

Another turns Caton into a nature-documentary narrator, watching his neighbour through binoculars and comparing a solar-only set-up to “building half a dam”. The series ends with Caton arriving at a “Bill Shock Support Group” for the meat pies, while revealing he has installed a VoltX battery.

Caton said his interest in renewable energy pre-dated his acting career.

“Before I was an actor I was selling windmills so I love the idea of nature helping both us and the planet which is why I jumped at the chance to have some fun to create awareness around home batteries and bill shock that’s so topical right now,” he said.

The campaign marks another sustainability-themed advertising appearance for Caton, who reunited with fellow The Castle stars Stephen Curry and Anthony Simcoe for Uber Green in 2025.

Home batteries move into the mainstream

The work lands amid accelerating household battery adoption. In August, the Australian Government said more than 500,000 batteries had been installed through its Cheaper Home Batteries Program.

The program currently provides a discount of around 30 per cent on the upfront cost of eligible small-scale battery systems connected to new or existing solar.

Government consumer guidance notes that batteries can reduce electricity costs by storing excess solar for later use, but the financial outcome varies between households and depends on factors including system size, electricity use and tariffs.

Menzies said the ability to monitor household generation and storage had become part of the appeal.

“The thing that’s surprised me the most is how you can track energy savings and see exactly how much energy you’re generating and storing from your mobile phone. Michael is very proud to show off how he’s generating more power than he’s using. It’s actually quite addictive.”

VoltX builds on its Sea Eagles partnership

Menzies’ involvement also extends VoltX’s relationship with Manly. The energy company became the club’s exclusive solar battery partner before upgrading to Premier Partner status in April, with its top-of-back jersey position secured through at least the end of the 2028 season.

VoltX Energy chief operating officer David Sedighi said entertainment was central to getting the campaign’s message across.

“We wanted to create a campaign that made that message impossible to ignore and entertaining in the process.”

The campaign is a multi-agency initiative involving Tiny Giants, Sweeney Advertising, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, In The Media PR and VoltX Energy’s marketing team.