Is switching off gas worth it?

Heat pumps move heat instead of burning fuel. Energy.gov.au says heat pumps are the cheapest hot water systems to run, using 30% of the energy of a conventional electric system. It also names reverse cycle split systems as the preferred replacement for gas heaters.

Energy.gov.au also says induction cooktops are cheaper to operate than gas stoves.

The SA Government’s heating guide shows the difference. These are hourly costs calculated in May 2025 on one retailer’s flat standing offers, so treat them as a guide. Your rates will differ.

• Large room, 36 square metres: reverse cycle 36c to 48c, gas heater 48c to 91c
• Whole of house, 200 square metres: zoned ducted reverse cycle $1.44 to $1.95, zoned ducted gas $2.78 to $3.05

You do not need to do it all at once. Energy.gov.au suggests replacing what uses the most gas first, which in most houses is heating, and watching what is nearing the end of its life. Gas water heaters usually last 12 to 15 years and cooktops 15 to 20.

If a gas system fails with no plan in place, it is easy to swap like for like. A plan avoids that, and it means you do not spend money on the wrong appliance first.

• Hot water: often the easiest first step, and it pairs well with solar
• Heating: usually the biggest gas user in the home
• Cooking: last in many homes, but it may need a new circuit

Check your switchboard early. An induction cooktop needs a hardwired connection and often a new dedicated circuit, and several new electric loads may need board work.

The supply charge applies whether you use gas or not, so the last step is stopping the supply. Energy.gov.au says your retailer arranges a disconnection, which is temporary, or an abolishment, which is permanent. You will be charged for either, and only qualified professionals can do the work.

Going electric shifts your use to electricity, so your solar works harder. Energy.gov.au says the savings can be higher with rooftop solar, a battery or an EV.

With retailer feed-in tariffs from zero to 5.5 cents per kWh at 30 June 2026, running hot water or pre-heating with your own solar is a better use of it than exporting. A battery can then carry some of that into the evening.

Heat pump hot water can earn federal STCs. REPS includes water heaters and reverse cycle air conditioning, with discounts set by providers. See SA rebates. Federal department guidance also points to discounted finance through the Household Energy Upgrades Fund.

We look at your gas and power bills together, then set out which upgrade to do first and what each one returns. That is the point of a bill audit.