General News
4 July, 2024
Electric switch campaign hots up
A new deal aimed to encourage householders to cut off their gas and switch on to electric has come into effect this week.
However, ahead of the offer's imminent introduction, a Wimmera plumbing and electrical company reassured householders that state government plans to phase out natural gas consumption won't see a sudden shift to electric-only cooking and heating.
Instead, a gradual transition is under way - including the latest initiative which will offer rebates to those wishing to switch from gas to electric induction cooktops.
Householders who qualify will be able to claim up to $150 through Victoria’s Energy Upgrades program.
The program already offers up to $3600 in rebates for the installation of electric heat pumps and reverse-cycle air conditioners.
The government announced last year that any new home or government-owned building approved for construction after January 1 2024 must be gas-free, as part of its target to meet 95 per cent renewable energy generation by 2035.
Solar Victoria also is paving the way by providing an $11 million training and workforce development package to upskill plumbers and electricians as the state slowly but inexorably moves towards ridding itself of natural gas.
And in a further move towards a full-scale switchover, the government will this year release a regulatory impact statement to consider the pros and cons of encouraging those with gas appliances that reach the end of their life to make an early transition to electric.
But Wimmera plumbing and electrical company Wades, which employs both electricians and plumbers across its staff of 35, is urging those connected to the gas grid not to worry about the taps being turned off - or to panic buy.
"They're not touching the LPG market - that will stay the same - and anybody who's already connected to the natural gas line will also stay connected," manager Michelle Khan told Wimmera Mallee News.
Most rural properties draw from individual refillable LPG bottles that are topped up monthly by an Elgas mobile service.
However, those in Horsham on the city's mains natural gas supply will be affected - eventually.
"All indications are that that will be at least another 30 years down the track," Ms Khan said. "So, if a heater breaks down today it's still cost-effective to change it to another gas heater."
But Ms Khan said the business was well placed to focus more heavily on electric sales and service into the future.
"We've been anticipating this for a while anyway, so we already have alternatives in place for customers in that new market," she said.
"A lot of people were scared off by the price of gas so they were already looking for a reverse-cycle split system or a wood heater instead."
Ms Khan said she did not expect the gas ban on new-builds to have a significant impact on the company's business.
"A lot of our builders have swapped to split systems instead of the heating-cooling option that they were running with a couple of years ago - evaporative cooling and a gas heater - so we've naturally seen a change already."
Victoria has the highest use of residential gas in Australia, about 80 per cent of homes being connected. Gas-fired appliances contribute about 17 per cent of the state’s emissions.
Horsham Rural City Council would not specify whether the regulations would affect any government-owned buildings.
However, federal Member for Mallee Anne Webster described the announcement as an "egregious over-reach on energy policy".
The Nationals' Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health said the Victorian Government had "taken another freedom away from the people: their freedom of energy choice".
- WITH ROSALEA RYAN