Gas industry cooks up a “culture war” as the electrification of everything gathers pace

Gas industry claims that electric cooktops are vastly more expensive and more emissions intensive than cooking with gas have been called out as “potentially misleading,” as fossil lobby groups continue their fight against the electrification of everything in Australian households.

In a post to professional networking website LinkedIn published on Wednesday, the Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG), which owns two of Victoria’s three gas networks and several in other states, published a series of claims about the cost and performance of electric cooktops.

The focus on cooktops come as the Labor government in Victoria, the state with the highest number of households connected to the gas network, consults on draft regulations to mandate the electrification of homes when existing gas appliances reach their end of life.

A Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) has proposed considering end-of-life replacements for gas space heating and hot water systems while also examining the broader benefits of electrification for new residential dwellings and commercial buildings.

Gas cooktops, however – to the gas industry’s great relief – are currently exempted from the state government’s phaseout plan, based on feedback from households concerned about the cost of electrifying cooking.

Still, the Allen government continues to urge households to cut what it describes as the “last appliance” tethering households to the gas network, and is offering a $140 discount on the cost of swapping out gas for induction electric through the Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme.

The AGIG post this week does not make statements directly about induction cooktops, but makes repeated comparisons between gas cooktops and other competing products such as mixed gas and induction cooktops, and old-style electric coil and plate cooktops.

In one example, it cites the cost of a mixed gas and induction cooktop, a niche, premium product that is not relevant to most households, saying: “The mixed gas and induction cooktop is the most expensive to purchase and install, with a price tag of about $5,499**”.

This claim is supported with a link to an online appliance retailer where a search reveals pure induction cooktops retail for as low as $968. A search of other websites shows models retailing as low as $749.

Another statement compares the carbon emissions between gas cooktops and electric grid-powered cooktops.

“Gas cooktops have the lowest annual energy cost (average $18) and the lowest emissions (average 32 kg CO2-e) compared with electric grid-powered cooktops,” the AGIG post says.

“Conversely, electric coil or plate cooktops powered by the electricity grid are the most expensive to operate, with an annual energy cost of about $47 and average emissions of approximately 146 kg CO2-e.”

In response to questions about the post, AGIG did not provide any calculations to support its claims but said they were based on modelling work performed by energyFIT Homes that drew on several data sources from Australian federal and state government agencies, with energy efficiency figures calculated from European Design Regulations.

On emissions, EnergyFIT relied on the Australian National Greenhouse Account Factors for 2023 to perform its calculations, as the 2024 figures were not yet available, and had used annual average emissions data to calculate the emissions from electric cooktops.

This, EnergyFIT says, produced a “conservative” estimate that “likely under reported the emissions of electric cooking.”

Referring to an energy efficiency test carried out in the European Union that recorded the test results for over 100 different electric cooktops, EnergyFIT said: “From an emissions perspective there is little difference between the worse performing electric (plate and coil) and induction.”

The report, which was not seen by Renew Economy, found the average induction cooktop is “only around 7% more energy efficient than the average plate or coil cooktop” and that in Victoria, “gas would reduce emissions by 78% compared to plate or coil”.

“So while this example looks at the worse case electric (plate and coil), the message is still valid when comparing gas with induction or ceramic (radiant) cooktops,” it said.

Jay Gordon, a gas market analyst with IEEFA, says the post is potentially misleading as the costs and emissions figures used as “so small, we are likely talking about a difference of a few dollars a year,” which is likely why AGIG have been keen to promote the worst-case example.

Though he said it is true that an electric appliance is as green as the grid it runs on, phasing out coal and gas in the grid will lower the emissions generated by running the appliance over its average 15-year lifespan. Gas cooktops also require twice the energy to function, he said.

In addition, a household using its rooftop solar and batteries will also not generate emissions when running an induction cooktop – and will be more robust in the event of blackouts.

“All of the cost comparisons here they have made are cherry picked, either looking at fringe cases or things that are irrelevant to most households,” Gordon said.

“It’s like they’re trying to stoke a culture war around gas cooktops that I don’t think necessarily exists.”

“The important bit of context that’s not included, including in Victoria that has the strongest policies on electrification, no jurisdiction has proposed any requirements for households to switch away from gas cooktops.”

Gordon says the price of gas has been pushing many households to switch voluntarily to induction cooktops, and this will often be the last swap a household makes largely to avoid paying $300 a year to maintain a gas connection in the home.

“We also know there are pollutants from gas cooktops that are harmful to human health,” he said.

“There’s a study that found around 12% of childhood asthma cases in Australia were linked to gas cooktops. There’s a health issue that is not looked at.”

The Australian gas industry has known since at least 1972 that burning gas generates nitrogen dioxide that may cause breathing problems. At that time the industry was directly involved in driving an earlier energy transition to switch “Town Gas” for natural gas that required an upgrade to every existing oven in the country.

Environmentalists accused the Australian Gas Industry Group of greenwashing in 2024 over a sponsorship deal between one of its subsidiaries, Australian Gas Networks, and reality TV show MasterChef that encouraged the use of gas-fired grills that used biomethane and hydrogen.

With additional reporting from Sophie Vorrath