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Getting older apartment buildings to go electric remains a challenge for the ACT Government. Photo: Zen Photo.<\/p>\n
The ACT is often used as a prime example of what can be achieved in the emission reductions space when government sets a clear policy direction \u2013 combined with incentives and giving people time to pay.<\/p>\n
The Territory was recently highlighted as part of the ANU Solar Oration 2026 which asked the question of how to manage people\u2019s transition off using gas, rather than allowing it to happen as usage declined.<\/p>\n
Grattan Institute energy and climate change program director Alison Reeve said a structural shift was happening where gas usage appeared to have peaked across every sector as electricity became better at the job we\u2019d previously asked gas to do.<\/p>\n
Gas used to be pushed as a solution for climate change about 25 years ago, as a cleaner alternative to coal-fired and other non-renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n
But evidence showed gas\u2019s time as a transition fuel \u201chas now largely passed\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead, gas is actually a fuel that is in transition. It is moving from being widespread to being localised; from being the everyday fuel to being an insurance fuel; and from cheap to expensive,\u201d Ms Reeve said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor a long time, it was absolutely true that it was better for the environment to use gas \u2026 people absorbed that message, and now we\u2019re having to tell them a different message, and that\u2019s going to take time.\u201d<\/p>\n
How\u2019s the ACT\u2019s move to no more fossil fuel gas by 2045 going?<\/p>\n
Canberra\u2019s energy transition is already underway.<\/p>\n
Emissions are already 47 per cent below 1990 levels, which equates to going from 11 tonnes of carbon emissions per person per year to about 3 tonnes per person per year.<\/p>\n
The single largest step towards achieving this was the ACT reaching 100 per cent use of renewable electricity in 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat fundamentally changed our emissions profile and it changed everything that comes next, because once you decarbonise electricity, it allows \u2026 us the opportunity to electrify everything else,\u201d climate change, energy, water and waste executive group manager Fiona Wright said.<\/p>\n
One of the next-largest opportunities to reduce emissions lies in gas.<\/p>\n
The ACT Government made it clear in 2022 that it wanted to electrify by 2045.<\/p>\n
At this time about 70 per cent of homes were connected to the gas network and demand was steady. But then households began using less gas as electric alternatives became better.<\/p>\n
\u201cSetting that clear [policy] direction really mattered. But just as important was creating a pathway that people could clearly follow,\u201d Ms Wright said.<\/p>\n
All-electric suburbs began being built, new gas connections were banned, the Sustainable Household Scheme was established and the Everyday Climate Choices website provided people with information about alternatives and incentives.<\/p>\n
Now, overall gas consumption (in terms of volume consumed) in the ACT has fallen about 20 per cent since 2020.<\/p>\n
The number of gas connections either disconnected or sitting unused increased by 15 per cent.<\/p>\n
\u201c[These numbers] represent thousands of individual choices that people are making everyday about their lives, their homes and their businesses across Canberra,\u201d Ms Wright said.<\/p>\n
\u201cClear policy signals matter, and time matters \u2026 if governments provide that direction early enough, households can make decisions, businesses can plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
What are some remaining challenges?<\/p>\n
Ms Wright said a big hurdle for getting rid of gas in the ACT was older apartment buildings \u2013 and it wasn\u2019t because the technology didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the challenge is simply getting a large group of people to agree on what to do next, especially when that decision involves spending money,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next stages won\u2019t be easy, but it\u2019s encouraging to be able to see \u2026 progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an area of concern also picked up by the Energy Efficiency Council.<\/p>\n
Its latest scorecard<\/a> ranked the ACT first in the country for energy efficiency, down to its \u201cambitious electrification policies, market-leading energy efficiency measures, strong consumer support programs and a clear long-term transition strategy\u201d.<\/p>\n The Territory\u2019s energy efficiency policy was its strongest area (9\/10 score) and it\u2019s the nation-leader in residential electrification policy.<\/p>\n But areas for improvement included addressing the absence of a regulated requirement to replace existing gas appliances at end-of-life (it\u2019s currently only encouraged), an absence of minimum electrification standards for rentals, and the lack of apartment programs available.<\/p>\n The council had some suggestions for the ACT to improve its score further:<\/p>\n \u201cIntroduce a gas appliance replacement requirement including a formal pathway requiring gas appliances to be replaced with efficient electric alternatives at end-of-life,\u201d it stated.<\/p>\n \u201cExpand existing building and apartment electrification programs, building on the Sustainable Apartments Pilot and rental standards by providing stronger support for apartment buildings and existing homes transitioning away from gas.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Wright said the government was considering what strata laws and regulations needed to either be changed or introduced to get more apartment buildings switched over from gas to electric.<\/p>\n \u201cThe technology will meet people where they are, but we need people to be able to move as a group and make those decisions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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