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Last week听听became the latest city to ban natural gas in new buildings. The legislation will see all new construction, other than restaurants, use electric power only from June 2021, to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

San Francisco has now听听听in banning natural gas in new homes. The move is in stark contrast to the direction of energy policy in Australia, where the Morrison government seems stuck in reverse: spruiking a听听from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Natural gas provides听听of energy consumed in Australia 鈥� but it鈥檚 clearly on the way out. It鈥檚 time for a serious rethink on the way many of us cook and heat our homes.

Cutting out gas

San Francisco is rapidly increasing renewable-powered electricity to meet its target of 100% clean energy by 2030. Currently, renewables power听听of the city鈥檚 electricity.

The ban on gas came shortly after San Francisco鈥檚 mayor London Breed听听all commercial buildings over 50,000 square feet must run on 100% renewable electricity by 2022.

Buildings are particularly in focus because 44% of San Franciscos鈥� citywide emissions come from the building sector alone.

Following this, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors听听passed the ban on gas in buildings. They cited the potency of methane as a greenhouse gas, and recognised that natural gas is a major source of indoor air pollution, leading to improved public health outcomes.

From January 1, 2021, no new building permits will be issued unless constructing an 鈥溾��. This means installation of natural gas piping systems, fixtures and/or infrastructure will be banned, unless it is a commercial food service establishment.

Switching to all-electric homes

In the shift to zero-emissions economies, transitioning our power grids to听听has been the subject of much focus. But buildings听听of Australia鈥檚 emissions, and the sector must also do some heavy lifting.

A report by the Grattan Institute this week recommended a moratorium on new household gas connections, similar to what鈥檚 been imposed in San Francisco.

The听听said natural gas will inevitably decline as an energy source for industry and homes in Australia. This is partly due to economics 鈥� as most low-cost gas on Australia鈥檚 east coast has been burnt.

There鈥檚 also an environmental imperative, because Australia must slash its fossil fuel emissions to address climate change.

While acknowledging natural gas is widely used in Australian homes, the report said 鈥渢his must change in coming years鈥�. It went on:

This will be confronting for many people, because changing the cooktops on which many of us make dinner is more personal than switching from fossil fuel to renewable electricity.

The report said space heating is by far the largest use of gas by Australian households, at about 60%. In the cold climates of Victoria and the ACT, many homes have central gas heaters. Homes in these jurisdictions use much more gas than other states.

By contrast, all-electric homes with efficient appliances produce fewer emissions than homes with gas, the report said.

Zero-carbon buildings

Australia鈥檚 states and territories have much work to do if they hope to decarbonise our building sector, including reducing the use of gas in homes.

In 2019, Australia鈥檚 federal and state energy ministers听听to a national plan towards zero-carbon buildings for Australia. The measures included 鈥渆nergy smart鈥� buildings with on-site renewable energy generation and storage and, eventually, green hydrogen to replace gas.

The plan also involved better disclosure of a building鈥檚 energy performance. To date, Australia鈥檚 states and territories have mostly focused on voluntary green energy rating tools, such as the听. This measures factors such as energy efficiency, water usage and waste management in existing buildings.

But in 2020, just听听of buildings in Australia achieved the highest six-star rating.听

The听听requires mandatory compliance with energy efficiency standards for new buildings. However, the code takes a听听and does not require buildings to install zero-carbon energy 鈥渋n the absence of an explicit energy policy commitment by governments regarding the future use of gas鈥�.

An economically sensible move

An estimated 200,000 new homes are built in Australia听. This represents an opportunity for states and territories to create mandatory clean energy requirements while reaching their respective net-zero emissions climate targets.

Under a gas ban, the use of zero-carbon energy sources in buildings would increase, similar to San Francisco. This has been recognised by听, which notes

A simple first step [鈥�] to start reducing Victoria鈥檚 dependence on gas is banning gas connections for new homes.

Creating incentives for alternatives to gas may be another approach, such as offering rebates for homes that switch to electrical appliances. The听听is actively encouraging consumers to transition from gas.

Banning gas in buildings could be an economically sensible move. As the听听found, 鈥渉ouseholds that move into a new all-electric house with efficient appliances will save money compared to an equivalent dual-fuel house鈥�.

Meanwhile,听听confirmed electricity from solar and wind provide the lowest levelised cost of electricity, due to the increasing cost of east coast gas in Australia.

Future-proofing new buildings will require extensive work, let alone replacing exiting gas inputs and fixtures in existing buildings. Yet efficient electric appliances can save the average NSW homeowner around听听a year.

Learning to live sustainability, and becoming resilient in the face of climate change, is well worth the cost and effort.

Should we be cooking with gas?

Recently, a suite of our major gas importers 鈥� China, South Korea and Japan 鈥� all pledged to reach net-zero emissions by either 2050 or 2060. This will leave our export-focused gas industry possibly turning to the domestic market for new gas hookups.

But continuing Australia鈥檚 gas production will increase greenhouse gas听, and听听support an economic recovery pinned on gas.

The window to address dangerous climate change is fast closing. We must urgently seek alternatives to burning fossil fuels, and there鈥檚 no better place to start that change than in our own homes.

Dr听Madeline Taylor is a lecturer is Sydney Law School and a member of the Sydney Environment Institute.

Susan Park is Professor of Global Governance in Department of Government and International Relations and a research lead of the Sydney Environment Institute.

This article was first published on as听