This headline caught my eye this week as I was in the lift to our office in the centre of Sydney.
It needs a bit of unpacking to understand exactly what is covered. Firstly, it only applies to new homes, then it excludes hot water heating, so it means that new homes and commercial buildings will use electricity for cooking, heating and cooling. A further extension of the ban is planned for 2027 that include hot water.
Sydney council promises savings of around £300 per year per home, cleaner air, and reductions in CO2 emissions.
This is like Norway which has banned the new use of gas in homes since 2017. There were already very few gas users in Norway and almost no infrastructure.
Both Australia and Norway have an abundance of gas and continue to be major exporters. They are turning towards electrification of the home and away from their own fossil fuel sources.
The realistic impact of this will be small, there are only 200k people in the district covered, and it will only be for new buildings. It’s likely that restaurants will want to be in older buildings so that they can continue to cook on gas.
But, never underestimate the impact of symbolic actions. This move could be followed by the New South Wales government, which would cover 8m people. It also sends an important signal to people that they should think about their choices.
Perhaps banning gas cooker sales would send a similar signal in the UK?
