Moving to Australia ten years ago, I was amazed to learn that most homes were connected to gas at the street. Growing up in New Zealand I was used to the old freestanding electric stove that had two settings of either milk-warm or burning hot; the electric hot water tank stored in the linen cupboard that doubled up as a clothes dryer in the winter; the wood fire heater that let you wear a singlet and stubbies in the middle of winter; or more recently the electric heat pump. Gas was isolated to the BBQ, which meant the perfect steak was always cooked outside no matter the weather conditions.
Now in Australia, it didn’t take me long to join the love affair we have with gas. An endless hot water supply with our gas-boosted water unit; watching the flames on our gas fireplace, which didn’t really create much heat but gosh it looked pretty; the instant heat on the kitchen cooktop; the ducted heating in every room of the house…. and well the BBQ still didn’t change, and I still only cook steak outside.
With Victoria going gas-free in 2024, and every new home moving to be fully electric, I look back at the old electric appliances I once had and wonder if that is what we are going back to. But the truth is electric appliances and heating systems have come a long way in the past 10 years. And with the huge take-up on PV Solar and EV cars, it only makes sense to change to a fully electric home.
When building a fully electric home, the first place to start is by investing in a large PV solar system on your roof. There are Government grants that help reduce the initial cost, and the cost benefits to your electricity bill start straight away. Pushing this investment down the road only delays the buy-back time.
Once you have committed to a PV solar system you want to invest in energy-efficient electric systems that can be programmed to run while the sun is shining and solar gain is at its highest, taking advantage of your home’s “Free Energy”. Changing your energy consumption to the daytime can take a bit of getting used to, but home automation systems can help with this, and watching your home energy bills drop is a great motivator.
Our clients often say to me they know they need to change to a fully electric home, but they don’t know what options are available, so we have come up with a list of fully electric systems to consider for your next home build.
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