Australia’s oldest gas utility says ‘switch to electric’

“Choosing to go all-electric can not only be cheaper but can also help reduce your CO2 emissions.”

Who said it: Was it ‘Electrify Everything’ champion Saul Griffith, or the utility formerly known as the Australian Gas Light Company?

If you guessed Griffith, you are wrong.

On a page titled “How choosing electricity over gas can help you and the environment,” AGL Energy details the bill and emissions savings households can make by switching from gas hot water to electric, from gas heating to electric, and from gas cooking to electric.

“While gas heaters can quickly warm up a room, they’re becoming more expensive to run due to rising gas prices and inefficient technology in older models,” the page says.

“Heat pump technology, on the other hand, can help reverse-cycle air conditioners turn one unit of thermal energy into three-to-six times as much heating or cooling energy, allowing them to operate at 300-600% efficiency.

“Unlike a gas heater, you get two functions out of one system. Plus, heat pumps can reduce your energy bill by a third of the cost of heating with gas.”

On stoves, AGL says that while cooking with gas is quick, “two-thirds of the heat energy from your stove will end up in your room, not your pot.

“In fact, of all gas appliances in your home, cooktops are the most inefficient (generally achieving 30% efficiency).”

Of course, this is increasingly becoming common knowledge, thanks in no small part to the tireless work of people like Griffith, and energy efficiency advocate Tim Forcey, who tipped us off to AGL’s updated view on gas in homes.

The gen-tailer has heretofore been a big player in a powerful industry that jointly coined the misnoma “natural gas” and relentlessly promoted the use of the fossil fuel in homes as a clean and cheap energy source.

But it has never been clean, and the “cheap” claim has become impossible to support in 2022, a year marked by global and local gas market mayhem.

Even government policy is coming up against gas, with both Victoria and the ACT recently announcing the phase-out of gas supply to homes, in favour of renewables-powered all-electric appliances.

So, what to do but get on board the all-electric train?

“Another benefit of electricity is that, when combined with a smart device, you can control your home’s energy use remotely or set devices to operate on a regular schedule,” AGL says.

“If you have a smart meter, you can also monitor your usage using apps like the AGL Energy App. Gas systems don’t offer the same capabilities as they are not monitored by smart meters.

“Choosing solar panels, the right appliances and home energy management systems are just a few ways in which you can harness the power of electricity to improve your day-to-day life and take care of your bank balance and the earth.”