After a long journey, Liz and her family have ditched gas in favour of an all-electric home. When they started nearly all their appliances – heating, hot water and their stove – were gas.
“We’ve just paid our last ever gas bill,” said Liz. “That’s one less bill coming in!”
Although they had always planned to electrify, the switch was brought forward by a water leak. The damaged flooring needed to be replaced, so ‘why not ditch the ducting gas heating and get rid of the draughty holes in the floor at the same time,’ they thought. Several efficient reverse cycle air conditioners were installed in different rooms, keeping their house toasty and lowering heating costs.
Then the gas hot water service died. Finances were tight, but Liz knew an electric hot water service would pay off in the long run. They got another loan to make it happen.
It hasn’t been easy financially. Throughout this process they were getting behind on their gas bill. “We were grateful to receive the Utility Relief Grant to pay our gas bill,” said Liz, thankful that this grant exists. “It made me feel like we might catch up on our bills.” They don’t yet have the money for a modern induction stove but found an affordable interim solution – a portable induction hot plate. That’s allowed them to cap the gas and ditch those bills for good.
“We’re very happy our little ones can now practice their cooking skills without the risk of flame burns or gas contributing to asthma.”
Liz hopes that the government will expand their subsidy offers and help make it much easier for everyone to ditch gas.
Read more about Victorians like Liz who are slashing their energy bills by making the switch to go all-electric in our research report, What do Victorians think about gas?