The Andrews Labor Government is driving down the cost of living and emissions with the nation’s first Gas Substitution Roadmap, giving Victorians more control over their energy bills.

The Roadmap outlines how Victoria will use energy efficiency, electrification, hydrogen and biomethane to drive down bills and cut carbon emissions, while ensuring we have a secure, reliable, and safe supply of energy.

Central to the Roadmap is giving households and businesses more choice to cut their bills and their emissions – helping more people upgrade to efficient appliances and take advantage of electrification.

Victorian households can save up to $1,020 per year off their energy bills through electrification and up to $1,250 if solar panels are installed. Victorian businesses can save thousands of dollars by switching to electric appliances.

Households can also now claim a $250 Power Saving Bonus by heading to the Victorian Energy Compare website and comparing their current energy bills to see if they can get a better deal.

New incentives to help Victorians move away from gas will be developed as part of the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. Incentives for all residential gas products will be phased out in 2023.

The Victorian Energy Upgrades program has already helped more than two million households and businesses cut their bills by increasing energy efficiency.

Victorians will also be given more choice by removing barriers to all-electric homes and new developments, by removing the current planning scheme requirement for new developments to be connected to gas.

An all-electric new home with solar panels can have electricity bills as low as $850 a year. This can drop even further if a battery is also installed, and is significantly lower than the average annual energy bill of $2,660 for a new home with gas and electricity.

In addition, the Roadmap outlines a clear path to transitioning to using hydrogen and biomethane, providing industry with the certainty needed to secure investment, while reskilling and preparing the Victorian workforce to take up new exciting sustainable employment opportunities.

The Roadmap was shaped by extensive community consultation with Victorian consumers, businesses, industry bodies and advocacy groups, regulators and energy market participants.

The Government’s $1.3 billion Solar Homes Program is making it easier than ever before for Victorians to go electric by installing solar and batteries – slashing energy bills by hundreds of dollars each year.

The nation-leading Solar Homes Program has already helped more than 200,000 Victorians install solar technologies, saving these households an average of $1,073 each year in electricity costs.

Further information on the Roadmap is available at: energy.vic.gov.au/gas/victorias-gas-substitution-roadmap.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Energy Lily D’Ambrosio

“Gas is no longer the cheap fuel it once was – we know renewables are the cheapest form of energy and we’re making it easier for Victorian households and businesses to go all electric with more choice and more support.”

“Victorians have been at the mercy of private gas companies for too long, it’s time to put gas on the back-burner as we help Victorians cut energy bills and halve emissions by 2030.”