Switching off your gas connection

What you need to know

If you’ve switched your home or business to electric appliances, you will need to think about closing your gas connection. Doing so can save you money on supply charges and support Canberra’s transition away from fossil fuel gas.

There are two main options available to Canberrans:

abolishment – permanent removal of the gas connection
disconnection – closing your gas account with your retailer and capping your gas line.

The best pathway for you will depend on your circumstances. Each option has different costs and safety considerations. This page explains your choices and what to consider before you decide

Disconnection vs abolishment – what is the difference?

Disconnection

Note: When future decommissioning of the gas network occurs, disconnected meters will be abolished.

When to choose disconnection

Choose disconnection if you: ·

are no longer planning to use gas
are not planning to lease or sell your property
are not planning construction, landscaping or gardening work near the gas meter or underground gas service line.

Safety considerations

You will still have an active, pressurised gas line on your property. This carries similar risks to a connected gas service, including the risk of gas pipeline strike or gas escape.
The meter will remain onsite until the connection is abolished (at your request and cost), or it is removed as part of future network decommissioning. Keeping the meter onsite will remind you there is still a pressurised pipe on the property.
You have a responsibility to advise tradespeople about the gas line before any building, landscaping or excavation works.

Other considerations

Disconnection is usually considered a temporary short-to-medium term option and gas can be reconnected.
If any gas registers as being used through the meter, you may be liable for supply and consumption charges.
Evoenergy must continue to maintain and periodically check your meter.
The ongoing cost of maintaining your gas service will be distributed to all other gas consumers connected to the network. As more homes and businesses make the switch to all electric, the costs to customers still on the gas network will increase.
You may continue to receive correspondence from your gas retailer about opening a gas account.
When future decommissioning of the gas network occurs, disconnected meters will be abolished.

Costs

Disconnection will cost around $185 (plus an energy retailer administration fee) for a standard residential connection.

This fee is regulated and assessed by the Australian Energy Regulator.

You should also ask your licensed gas tradesperson to cap the line on the customer side of the meter when they disconnect the last appliance. This will ensure no gas can inadvertently pass into the house if the meter malfunctions or the ‘tap’ is turned on. If done at the same time as appliance removal, it should cost around $100. If you do it separately, it will also incur a call out fee of between $150 – $300.

How to disconnect your gas connection

Contact your energy retailer if you wish to disconnect your gas account. To avoid any potential gas supply charges, you should also arrange for a gas tradesperson to cap your meter when the last gas appliance is removed.

Abolishment

Abolishment (also known as decommissioning) is the permanent disconnection of your gas connection. This involves the removal of active gas equipment on your property. Abolishment involves more work than the disconnection process. This includes digging up the connection point to cut the service line from the gas main, evacuating gas, and removing the meter safely. The process requires at least two people onsite. It may also require traffic management, site restoration works and up to two hours of work.

When to choose abolishment

Choose abolishment if you:

plan to undertake construction or landscaping work
wish to use the area near the gas meter
plan to sell or lease your property with no gas appliances.

Safety considerations

Abolishment is mandatory if demolition works will be carried out on the property.
Abolishment removes the risk of the gas meter failing and leaking gas.
Abolishment removes the risk of a gas leak from any onsite excavation.
Is the safest option as there will no longer be an active pressurised gas line servicing your property.

Other considerations

Abolishing your connection means there are no ongoing service or maintenance charges.
Only homeowners, or their representatives, can request an abolishment.
When future decommissioning of the gas network occurs, disconnected meters will be abolished.

Costs

The current fee for abolishment includes:

about $950 (plus an energy retailer administration fee) for a standard residential connection
about $1,750 (plus an energy retailer administration fee) for a business meter.

This fee is regulated and assessed by the Australian Energy Regulator.

How to abolish your gas connection

Abolishment should be requested through your gas retailer. Your retailer will arrange the work and forward the bill for the service. If you no longer have a gas account and are unsure who the retailer is for your property, contact Evoenergy’s network manager, Jemena, at 1300 137 078.

Checklist to turn off your gas connection

The right time to temporarily disconnect or abolish your gas connection will look different for every household.

Your transition to an all-electric, energy efficient household may include:

taking steps to improve your energy efficiency such as draught-proofing, installing insulation or window glazing or treatments
replacing any gas heating, water heating and gas cooking appliances with efficient electric appliances
replacing any remaining gas-powered appliances with efficient electric appliances where possible
your last step should be to request a temporary disconnection or abolishment from your energy retailer.

About the ACT’s pathway to electrification

The ACT is preparing to electrify our city and transition away from the use of fossil fuel gas. We’re doing this because an all-electric Canberra will allow us to power our city, homes, businesses, and transport in a cleaner and cheaper way.

While our goal is to phase out fossil fuel gas by 2045, we know that some parts of the gas network will likely be shut down from the mid-2030s onwards. This will not occur without appropriate notice, and the ACT Government will continue to support ACT consumers and priority households with their transition.

The most efficient and cost-effective approach to the future shutting down of the gas network is by enabling bulk network decommissioning at the street, suburb, or district level. The ACT Government and Evoenergy are working together on regulatory settings to enable planning, notification and eventual decommissioning of the gas network.