Victoria
New South Wales
South Australia
QueenslandFollowing our recent part 1 on disconnecting from gas in Victoria, in part 2 we get into the details of making your home gas-free in three steps:
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- Gas Disconnection
- Meter Removal
- Services Abolishment
How Can I Disconnect Gas?
There are three stages of getting gas completely removed from your property.
- gas disconnection from the supplier,
- removal of the gas meter, and
- total services abolishment.
Gas Disconnection.
A gas disconnection involves temporary locking and installing a plug on the gas outlet at the property. This non-permanent measure stops the flow of gas into the property, but allows the connection to be re-used again in the future. This may be done when renovating a home, or to allow future tenants to choose to have access to gas if they wish.
Removing Gas Meter.
The next step is removing the gas meter from the property. To do so, the gas meter is disconnected and taken away, but the service pipe is left in place. A little difficult to do, but future property owners could still arrange for a new meter to be installed and gasflow brought back to the house.
Services Abolishment.
Finally, service abolishment is the permanent disconnection of the service pipe from the street. This along with the removal of the meter and the account terminated with the energy supplier, means the property is no longer on gas!
Click to enlarge
How Much Does it Cost Me to Disconnect Gas?
Pricing for disconnection, meter removal and service abolishment may vary depending on your gas retailer. According to the Victorian Government’s Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, disconnection can range from $59 – $81, and meter removal from $0 – $115. In Victoria the service abolishment is fixed at $220, however in other states this varies greatly (up to $1000).
Once you’ve completely disconnected from gas you’ll immediately begin saving not only from the gas costs, but also the daily supply charges which cover asset maintenance and meter readings. This 70 – 90 cents per day adds up.
How Long Does it Take?
The whole process from notifying your gas retailer through to the permanent disconnection of gas to the property can take up to 20 days. When you request disconnection from your retailer they will provide you with a more accurate timeframe.
What Supports & Grants are Available for Electrification?
Heat Pump Hot Water
In Victoria, energy certificates can be created to reduce the cost of an upgrade to an energy efficiency heat pump hot water system. VEECs and STCs can be created for particular heat pump models to greatly reduce the out of pocket costs. The running costs of a heat pump can be as much as 70% less than standard electric storage hot water. You can read more about why so many households are upgrading to heat pump hot water here.
Heating & Cooling
Ducted systems and reverse cycle air conditioners can attract some handy rebates to help you move away from gas and dated electric systems. How much you save will depend on the system you’re replacing and the size of the new unit. For example, a split system can range between $70 – $2,240, while a ducted system could attract between $500 – $10,290 in incentives. To see a more detailed breakdown of potential savings, see our indicative rebates.
Solar
Solar Victoria offers rebates of up to $1,400 for the installation of solar panels on existing homes and homes under construction. Limited numbers of rebates are released each month and availability can be checked on the Solar Victoria website. STCs can also be generated for new solar systems and the value from these will offset the upfront cost to install.
Visit our Electrify your Home page to learn more about home electrification and start the journey away from gas.
