Developers & Builders
Why it’s important
The ACT Government is committed to reaching net zero emissions by 2045. We have announced our plan to electrify the city and transition the ACT away from fossil fuel gas by 2045.It’s important to highlight that this is going to be a long-term transition, we are not switching off the gas network overnight.
As we move toward net zero emissions, renewable electricity will become our primary energy source – replacing gas for heating and cooking and replacing petrol and diesel in our cars.
What it means for you
As a key first step, we will be developing a regulation to prevent new gas connections for some new developments. This will help avoid new developments and new builds being locked in to using gas in the future.
While it will be simpler to transition most detached houses away from gas use, there will be buildings where this will be more of a challenge, such as some apartment buildings that use gas for heating, hot water and/or cooking. In these buildings, the structure of the building itself and its gas and electricity systems will be key to how easy or difficult it may be to transition, but factors such as body corporate arrangements may also present challenges.
Transitioning existing buildings to all-electric, as well as building new all-electric developments, will also mean parts of our electricity network will need to be expanded in the coming years.Developer charges, or ‘capital contributions’, are charged by a utility (such as Evoenergy) when an existing network needs to be expanded. For example, this could include a new apartment or office building that will have a large energy load. Because a transition away from gas use would mean some areas of the ACT would likely need more electricity, it will be important to understand what this means for developer charges.
The Government has previously committed to legislating to prevent new gas connections for certain types of development. This work is currently under way and the government will be consulting with the development industry.
Have your say
The pathway to electrification is significant change for our community and there will be many opportunities for Canberrans to have their say.
We are inviting community feedback on a regulation to prevent new gas network connections in the ACT, which is planned to commence at the end of 2023. You can:
Have your say on the proposed regulation at YourSay Conversations.
FAQ’s
Renewable gases aren’t presently feasible to replace fossil fuel gas in the mains gas network. We are looking at the potential use of renewable gases for specific purposes where needed.
We will be developing a regulation to prevent new gas connections for some new developments. This will help avoid new developments being locked in to using gas in the future.
We will be consulting on options and impacts of a regulation to prevent new gas connections. To register your interest in participating in forums or workshops on the regulation, please contact gastransition@act.gov.au.
The ACT Government is planning to introduce legislation to prevent new gas mains connections in 2023. New connections will still be allowed until this regulation is in place.
The contractual process and lead-times for new building construction will be an important consideration in the design and implementation of this policy over 2022 and 2023. It is not expected that a new regulation will impact buildings that have already received Building or Development Approval, unless the construction were to greatly exceed reasonable construction timelines.
If you are building a new home, please consider choosing energy efficient electric appliances. Independent research shows that an all-electric home in Canberra would save $9,000 over 10 years, compared to a home with gas, even taking into consideration the upfront appliance costs.
You can find out more information on the best appliances for your home and Government supports available to help you transition on your energy journey.
Green Building Council Australia has created A practical guide to electrification for existing buildings [PDF 8.5MB]. Developed with funding from the CEFC and NSW Government, this free resource provides a step-by-step guide on how to retrofit an existing building to be all-electric to ensure it doesn’t become a stranded asset.
