What is involved in going all-electric and disconnecting gas?

A gas connection has a fixed daily charge that you pay whether or not you use any gas. In a house where gas is down to one appliance, that fixed charge can be most of the bill, which is why the last appliance is often the one worth replacing first on economics.

The three appliances

• Hot water, usually the largest gas user, replaced with a heat pump or an electric system on a daytime timer.
• Heating, replaced with reverse cycle, which in most Australian climates costs less to run than gas heating.
• Cooking, replaced with induction, which is the smallest energy user and the one people have the strongest opinions about.

The steps people miss

1. 1Check the switchboard has capacity before committing, since replacing three gas appliances with electric ones adds load.
2. 2Check what rebates apply where you live, since several jurisdictions publish electrification rebates and some require approval before you start.
3. 3Have a licensed gasfitter decommission and cap the internal pipework properly, rather than leaving live capped points.
4. 4Formally request abolishment or disconnection with the gas distributor, which is what stops the daily supply charge. There is often a fee, and it is a one-off against an ongoing saving.

Worth weighing rather than assuming: if you are on the network and lose power, an all-electric house has no cooking or hot water during an outage, where a gas cooktop with a manual igniter would still work. A battery or a portable option covers this, and it is a reason some households keep one appliance.