Energy consumer survey reveals who wants to quit gas, and who’s afraid of smart meters

One Step Off The Grid

The results are in for Energy Consumers Australia’s latest survey of households and businesses, a comprehensive and ongoing measure of the attitudes and activity of the nation’s electricity and gas consumers.

The survey yielded a number of interesting results, such as a “considerable” improvement of consumer sentiment that included he highest recorded ratings of value for money of electricity and gas and strong improvements in confidence about future energy market outcomes.

But a couple of other points caught our attention at One Step Off The Grid: The data on which households and where – and in what numbers – were thinking of quitting gas altogether, and; Consumer sentiment on smart meters.

The ECA survey this year noted that some Australian households had been cancelling their gas supply and converting their home to running on electricity only. And it asked respondents whether this was something they, too, had considered – and to what degree.

As One Step has reported, the shift to all-electric homes is becoming increasingly economically attractive – although not always easy or cheap to execute – as gas prices increase, electric appliances become more energy efficient and households install solar.

But just how much traction is the idea gaining? According to the survey, a surprising 31 per cent of household respondents – nationally – were revealed to have at least considered switching off their gas supply and going all-electric, even if they had ultimately decided against it.

Another 23 per cent of respondents, nationally, said they were either seriously considering switching (12 per cent), or were thinking about it, but not particularly seriously (whatever that might mean).

On a state-by-state basis, this more or less reflects the findings across Australia – with the exception of the Sunshine State, Queensland, where an impressive 30% of respondents said they were seriously considering cancelling their gas supply and converting to electricity only.

For more on this story, please read the original story at our sister-site, One Step Off The Grid .