Aussie state wants homes to switch gas for electric as prices rise

Plan by Victoria’s government also urges use of solar panels, hydrogen and biomethane

MELBOURNE • Australia’s Victoria government released a plan yesterday aiming to wean the country’s biggest gas-consuming state off the fossil fuel, halve carbon emissions by 2030 and drive down household energy bills.

The state, where 80 per cent of households use gas for heating, cooking and hot water, wants to encourage homes to switch to electric appliances, use solar panels and batteries, and eventually get gas-reliant businesses to use hydrogen and biomethane.

“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,” the state’s energy minister Lily D’Ambrosio said in a statement.

The loss of Russian gas supply on global markets has exacerbated price increases.