Editorial
Turning off the gas makes good sense
Victorian households have been using gas for heating and cooking for more than 160 years. For the first 100 years or so it was extracted from coal, but by the 1970s most homes had transitioned to an abundant supply of natural gas discovered in Bass Strait. For many years it was considered a cheap and clean alternative to electricity generated from coal-fired power plants. That time is coming to an end.
As calls grow to reduce carbon emissions, Victorian households will eventually need to transition to zero-emission power supplies. The Andrews government recently announced its intention to cut the state’s greenhouse pollution by 28 to 33 per cent of 2005 levels by 2025, and 45 to 50 per cent by 2030.
Victoria is the highest user of gas in the country.Credit:John Woudstra
About 19 per cent of Australia’s emissions come from natural gas, according to think tank the Grattan Institute, with much of that used for heating and cooking.
It’s an enormous undertaking. Victorians are the nation’s largest users of natural gas. Almost half of the nation’s residential gas consumption is used solely to heat Victorian homes. But as gas prices have risen, and the need to cut emissions has intensified, the imperative to give up our reliance on the fossil fuel is becoming more evident.
The Greens-dominated City of Yarra, which covers inner-Melbourne suburbs including Richmond, Collingwood, Fitzroy, Carlton North and Abbotsford, is the first council in Victoria to agree to switch its buildings, including pools and community centres, from gas to renewable electricity by 2030. It has also called on the state government to implement a ban on gas connections in new homes.
While to some this may seem extreme, it is an idea that is fast spreading. The British government has banned the installation of gas-fired boilers in newly built homes from 2025. New Zealand is considering a recommendation to ban gas connections to all new homes in a similar timeframe.
Two years ago, the city of Berkley, in California, was the first to refuse building permits for new construction with natural gas connections. That decision triggered many other US municipalities and cities to follow suit, although some states have enacted laws to stop the spread of the ban. Closer to home, the ACT government has lifted the requirement that mains gas infrastructure is included in new housing developments.
While Victorians have dealt before with large-scale transitions of common household items, including the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs and single-flush toilets, this is of a scale not attempted before. Victoria’s electricity distribution networks would require significant and expensive upgrades to cope with the increase in peak demand. And to ask every Victorian household to buy electric appliances to replace their gas versions is not feasible.
But the state must start somewhere. With some lead-in time, Victoria should follow the growing list of cities and municipalities that have either banned or are considering restricting the use of fossil fuels in new homes. Extending the ban to existing houses should follow. It’s a long-term undertaking, but the longer we wait, the longer it will take to reap the benefits.
With the state’s widespread installation of household solar panels – reducing the price of electricity – one of the main foundations of the transition is already well under way. Improvements in household battery technology will also help.
Most car companies have set a deadline for moving to an all-electric line-up of vehicles in the next two decades. It’s a radical transformation, but the reality is that within most of our lifetimes, the petrol engine could become as antiquated as a gas stove. It’s a transition that future generations will appreciate.
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