By Denise Aubourg of Electrify Illawarra
Not so long ago, installing gas appliances in our homes was a popular choice for cooking, heating and hot water. The phrase “Cooking with Gas” even crept into our language, originally introduced by the gas industry to promote their product.
Fast forward a decade or so, and the game has totally changed:
- Electric appliances are now more efficient,
- Solar panels are more affordable than ever and
- Battery prices are dropping fast and subsidised by state and federal incentives
Nowadays if you have gas appliances, you are at a disadvantage because:
- you’re paying double the daily connection fees – one for electricity and one for gas,
- you can’t use rooftop solar, to power you gas appliances, to reduce your energy bill like some of your neighbours can, and
- your family is exposed to the potential harmful effects from gas cooking, particularly if you’re asthmatic or your cooktop is unflued.
According to Rewiring Australia, homes with rooftop solar and efficient electric appliances can save $2,000 to $3,000 a year compared to their gas-powered counterparts. Throw in a home battery and an EV, and you could be looking at annual savings of $5,000 or more. This has certainly been my experience so far.
If you install new gas appliances now, you’re essentially locking yourself out of these cost-of-living benefits for another 10-15 years until the old gas appliances wear out or you pay to replace them sooner.
Make the Switch, Share the Journey
That’s where Electrify Illawarra comes in – connecting locals who are making the switch and sharing real-world tips, wins, and lessons learned.
On May 4, we teamed up with Renew’s Sustainable House Day, where three Illawarra homes opened their doors to show off how they’ve gone electric—everything from retrofitted appliances to solar, batteries, and EV charging.
Another opportunity is the Go Electric Open Day at Club Thirroul on Sunday, 22 June from 9am to 2pm. Electrify Illawarra and the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot are co-hosting this event proudly supported by Wollongong Council and Rewiring Australia. There'll be live cooking demos EV & e-bike displays, information sessions, plenty of opportunity to chat to locals and installers and lots more.
Book your FREE spot on humanitix go-electric
Read more: Health concerns drive calls for new homes to be all-electric
About the writer
Denise Aubourg is a Coledale resident and retired IT Project Manager. Denise volunteers with Electrify 2515 and the newly formed Electrify Illawarra. She is inspired by Dr Saul Griffith’s win-win guide on how we can reduce emissions and our cost-of-living at the same time. She is bicycle leader with Illawarra Ramblers and a keen golfer, bridge player, gardener and campervanner.
