Can you still buy and connect new gas cooktops and heaters in Australia?

Yes, if you live in a home with gas connections, you can still buy and use new gas appliances. If you move into a new build home in some parts of Australia in the next few years, though, gas may no longer be an option.

Here, we look at what’s changing, and where, in relation to using gas stoves, gas heating and gas-powered hot water systems.

In August 2023 the City of Sydney council followed a number of other New South Wales councils, including Waverly, Canterbury Bankstown and Parramatta Council in Western Sydney, in supporting a ban on gas installations in new homes. This stance is counter to that of the NSW State Government, but councils argue that they have the power to update planning rules within their own boundaries.

It’s not just council areas that are encouraging a move away from reliance on gas systems though. From January 2024, not just the Melbourne metro area, but the entire State of Victoria will stop installing gas connections in new homes. The ACT will follow suit, requiring all new suburbs and infill developments to be connected to electricity only from the end of 2024.

With so many homes and businesses using gas for cooking, heating and water heating, why is there a shift away from it? There are two main reasons: environmental and health.

State and Territory Governments are on a mission to reduce fossil fuel emissions, and a transition away from domestic gas use is part of this plan. As opponents to the ban on new gas connections point out, though, around 70% of electricity is generated by the burning of coal, gas and oil, so the transition to electricity certainly doesn’t remove fossil fuels from the equation - especially as burning coal creates more greenhouse gas emissions than burning gas.

However, as the percentage of electricity generated by renewable energy sources continues to increase, the argument for the transition to electricity strengthens. Australia has a national target of 82% renewable electricity by 2030. Forecasts predict that a figure closer to 70% is more likely, but either way, the move is clearly towards renewables.

Health-wise, gas cooktops and heaters release chemicals, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2), into the indoor air, which can aggravate respiratory problems for people with preexisting conditions. Cooking with gas is estimated to cause 12% of childhood asthma in Australia, according to the Australian Journal of General Practice.

Gas has traditionally been the cheapest form of energy for a lot of Australians, and this has been a key reason for its ubiquity in homes. Now, though, energy costs are rising across the board, resulting in both higher gas bills and electricity bills. The combination of losing its perception as a more affordable energy source and being increasingly linked to health concerns could be the catalyst for more families to reconsider how they cook and how they heat their homes.

Gas cooking is an integral part of commercial kitchens, so a ban on new connections could make things tricky for those opening new restaurants or food businesses in areas where the restriction also applies to new commercial premises, and therefore affects business operators as well as homeowners.

While some chefs, including high-profile restauranteur Luke Mangan, have voiced their concerns about switching to an all-electric system, others like Neil Perry, who has been operating gas-free commercial kitchens in his restaurants since 2006, have offered their support. Praising the speed and cleanliness of induction cooking, Perry says that transitioning to cooking with electricity can be done without too much difficulty for those who are renovating commercial kitchens or fitting out new ones.

When you turn on the shower or tap in a lot of Aussie homes, the hot water that flows will be courtesy of either a continuous flow or gas-heated water tank. While gas-powered water heaters that are located outside the house don’t pose the same health risks associated with cooktops and indoor heaters, they do still have higher greenhouse gas emissions than some modern alternatives like electric heat pump water tanks. In Victoria, this highly efficient water heating technology is mandated for new-build homes.

Some States and Territories already offer incentives, in the form of rebates, to encourage the uptake of assorted energy-saving practices, including upgrading to electric heat pump water tanks, kitchen and laundry appliances, rooftop solar panels and storage batteries.

Eligibility requirements vary between the schemes. Here’s where you can find more information about rebates in your area.

Tasmania, Northern Territory and Western Australia have no State or Territory-specific schemes in place, but residents may be eligible for rebates under the Federal Government's Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme.

Energy rebate schemes evolve over time, but you can keep track of what's available from Federal, State and Territory governments, at energy.gov.au.

Most Aussie barbies - and a small number of hot water systems - are powered by LPG bottled gas, as opposed to piped natural gas. The Victorian government hasn’t included LPG in the phase-out of gas connections, so it’s likely that other States, Territories and council areas won’t either.

Regardless of government and council moves to reduce reliance on gas, many people are embracing electrification of their own accord, due to health, environmental or safety concerns. In Australia, the most commonly used gas appliances are cooktops, heaters and water heaters (in some countries gas ovens and gas clothes dryers are also more widely used).

If you’re considering transitioning your home from gas to all-electric appliances, here are a few substitutes for commonplace gas appliances.

Rather than heating the cooktop's surface, which then heats the pan, an induction cooktop uses electromagnetic induction to heat the pan directly. Compared with other types of cooktop, this results in less time needed for heating and lower energy consumption. You will, however, need to use induction-compatible cookware.

Shop induction cooktops

In a similar way to reverse cycle air con, heat pump water heaters extract heat from the outside air, increase its temperature, and transfer it to the water in a storage tank. They are significantly more energy efficient - and cheaper to run - than traditional gas storage tanks and continuous flow (tankless) gas hot water systems.

Shop heat pump water heaters

A good alternative to gas heaters if you live in a part of the country that has relatively mild winters, a reverse cycle split system, portable or window air conditioner can heat your home in the colder months as well as cool it in summer. As a heating system, it absorbs heat from outside air, compresses it to increase its temperature, and blows the warm air into your home.

Shop reverse cycle air conditioning