Victoria bans new homes from connecting to gas
Victoria, which has the highest use of residential gas in Australia, will ban all new homes that require a planning permit from connecting to gas starting from next year, Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has announced.
Ms D’Ambrosio, who lives in an all-electric home that relies on a combination of a split system, ducted electric heating and insulation to stay warm, said staying off gas could save Victorians up to $1000 a year, while the addition of solar panels could boost annual energy bill savings to $2200.
Victorian Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio has announced that new homes will be banned from connecting to gas from January 1 next year. Eddie Jim
From January 1 next year, planning permits for new homes and residential subdivisions will only allow connections to all-electric networks.
These changes will apply to all new homes requiring a planning permit, including new public and social housing delivered by Homes Victoria.
All new public buildings – including schools, hospitals and police stations – that haven’t reached design stage will also be all-electric, starting immediately, the Victorian energy minister said.
Victoria has the highest use of residential gas in Australia, with around 80 per cent of homes connected.
The gas sector contributes about 17 per cent of the state’s emissions, and Ms D’Ambrosio says the move to electric systems is a key element of meeting Victoria’s nation-leading emissions reduction targets of 75 per cent to 80 per cent by 2035, and net-zero by 2045.
“Instead of building a new gas home that locks in higher bills for decades, we will be helping to deliver real energy savings for Victorians from day one of moving into a new electric home,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
“We’re the first state to
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