The glory days of gas are over. As the cost of renewable energy comes down, many Australian households are making the shift away from the fossil fuel. But not everyone has got the memo, with about 5m Australian residences still relying on gas for heating and cooking.
Those gas connections might have been a good idea at the time, but in the current (and foreseeable) energy market, getting off gas will lower a household’s energy bills – not to mention their emissions. It’s not always a DIY job – and it takes some planning – but electrifying your house is the inevitable way forward, so the sooner the better.
Why bother?
“You’re going to come out ahead,” says Rob McLeod, a policy and advocacy manager at Renew, a sustainability not-for-profit. “In a standard, insulated, Melbourne home, getting off gas would bring the annual energy bill down by several hundred dollars.”
A 2023 Grattan report concurs. Alison Reeve, one of the report’s authors, says their research found that once the disconnection and abolishment fees (which differ from state to state) were taken care of, replacing your appliances and running your home solely on electricity is “the right financial decision in every capital city except Perth”.
Why now?
Household gas usage makes up a small fraction of our national carbon emissions, but with net zero targets fast approaching, new connections continuing and millions of disconnections to contend with in the next few decades, we need to get cracking.
The Grattan report calculated that in order for Victoria (the country’s biggest consumer of household gas) to honour national 2050 ambitions, over 200 homes would need to be disconnected from the gas network per day – for the next 26 years.
No matter what the pace, there will be fewer and fewer homes using gas in the coming years. And it pays to get ahead of the curve. Reeve points out that as those disconnections take place, those who remain connected will be left footing the bill for the vast operational costs for the network to function.
What are your options?
Heating homes with gas accounts for the biggest cost to consumers, so replacing heaters should be a priority, McLeod says. He says split systems are more efficient than many people realise and typically use about 75% less energy than a gas system of any sort.
If you have a ducted system, McLeod reckons converting to split systems is still the smarter choice, but if you don’t want to part with the luxury of climate control it is possible to replace your gas ducted system with an electric one – though it will be more expensive to install and run than wall units.
In Victoria any homeowner is eligible for substantial discounts when upgrading their heating systems. Other states and territories offer more limited rebates, but they’re well worth looking into.
Hot water services are a household’s second biggest gas guzzler; replacing them with a heat pump when they give out is a no-brainer.
In terms of cooktops, gas stove devotees might shudder at the idea of giving up what feels like a superior option. But as anyone who has had the pleasure of using an induction will tell you, they outperform electric hobs and coils so significantly that any comparisons are moot.
“When people think about switching, they are remembering terrible products, but it’s a new era of electrical appliances and they are just genuinely better,” Reeve says. She also points out that induction stoves not only match the control you can have with gas, they’re also safer and easier to clean.
Plan ahead
While it is possible to get the job done in one fell swoop, if you don’t have the cash flow, weaning your property off gas appliances before abolishing the connection is another option. Whatever path you take, planning ahead is essential.
McLeod suggests shopping around and having a list of options ready to seize the moment should one of your gas appliances suddenly fail. Reeve agrees; if your hot water service suddenly gives out, “you don’t want to end up in a situation where it’s a choice between installing a heat pump or giving the kids a bath by 5 o’clock”.
By having not only a shopping list, but also space in the budget and thought-through logistics, you’ll be better placed to act when funds allow or circumstances dictate.
Talk to your body corporate
“If you [own] an apartment, there’ll be things that you can do individually, and there’ll be other things that your body corporate will need to be involved in,” McLeod says. While you might not be able to unilaterally disconnect from gas mains, replacing heating and cooking appliances is an option.
But changing your hot water system could prove more challenging. Reeve acknowledges that getting involved in body corporate matters can be tedious, but McLeod says there are examples of some taking action to electrify whole buildings. He believes that as policies that prevent landlords from installing new gas appliances in rentals take effect in some states, and more government subsidies become available, it will become more appealing for residential blocks to go entirely gas free.
For renters (or landlords)
If you’re renting a home that relies on gas, finding alternatives to using gas appliances is really all you can do. McLeod and Reeve suggest considering purchasing portable electric options like plug-in induction cooktops and energy-efficient electric heaters.
If you have a good relationship with your landlord, discuss upgrading appliances that are on their way out. For landlords, it’s worth remembering that not only are many energy efficient upgrades subsidised, they’re also often tax deductible and will likely increase the rental value.
