Our household decarbonisation journey has been a long and winding road, initially with a 100% GreenPower electricity plan followed in subsequent years by divestiture of fossil-fuel investments, purchase of two battery electric vehicles after previous ICE vehicles reached end-of-life, and installation of rooftop solar and a battery.
But we were still using one fossil fuel directly – ‘natural’ gas, otherwise known as that potent greenhouse gas, methane.
Replacing gas appliances with electric alternatives in an existing property can range from not too hard to very difficult – and potentially very expensive. But we recently completed our phaseout of fossil fuels with abolishment of our gas connection. Here’s how we did it and the challenges along the way.
Considerations for induction cooktops and heat pump hot water
We had four gas appliances: a cooktop, instant hot water system, fireplace, and an outdoor barbecue. Our approach was to get the cooktop and hot water replaced first as these were the highest priorities and then disconnect the gas. The other two could wait.
