Going electric without leaving anyone behind

Going electric without leaving anyone behind

By Kat Lucas-Healey, Senior Climate and Energy Adviser, Environment Victoria

There is a lot going on in home electrification at the moment.

Here in Victoria, the state government is considering new standards for rental homes that would include basics like insulation and draught sealing, as well as efficient electric heating and cooling. They have also proposed new rules that will mean that, across all housing, broken-down gas heaters and hot water systems would be replaced with electric models. These measures have the strong support of the environment movement, social services sector and unions (and Cooperative Power) – in fact, a group of us fronted up to parliament last week to make sure members of parliament know we support it.

There are three main things that efficient electrification can fix: Poorly insulated homes are uncomfortable without a lot of heating and cooling. Gas is expensive and it’s staying that way. And gas appliances are many times less efficient than modern electric alternatives. We tackle all three and we will be better off. However, change requires power and resources that not everyone has. So how can we put fairness, equity and solidarity front and centre as homes transition away from gas?

Not everyone is a homeowner

About 30% of Victorians are renters and this is expected to grow. As it stands, landlords have little reason to invest in measures that would make the tenant’s life more affordable or comfortable, particularly at the cheaper end of the market. If the rental standards are implemented, landlords will have to invest.

The evidence tells us that rental standards don’t cause rents to rise, nor are they a factor in investor decisions to sell up.¹ At the same time, minimum standards can only be effective with proper enforcement and renters need better overall protection from rent rises and evictions. For public and community housing, we and our allies are calling for governments to fund insulation and electrification upgrades because housing providers don’t have the resources to do it themselves.

Free, cheap, and cheap-er options for electrifiers.

For individual households, there are low-cost options to get started with. A surprising 27% of Victorian homes have a reverse cycle air conditioner but aren’t using it to heat. If you are living in one of those homes, as the weather cools down try it out! It is much, much cheaper to run than a ducted gas heater. Some people are using plug-in appliances like portable induction cooktops and air fryers in place of gas. This can avoid a kitchen upgrade or could be used just as an interim measure.

At my place we’re using a $120 induction cooktop to get the hang of it while we save up to replace our scruffy old kitchenette. Many council libraries now include induction cooktops in their collections, so you can try one out for free. For the bigger things, upgrades to efficient electric appliances are covered by incentives in the Victorian Energy Upgrades scheme. In 2026 the scheme will extend to insulation, too. If you’re not in Victoria you might still be able to access energy efficiency discounts via a scheme in your state or territory.

And of course there is a growing collection of resources and stories on the CoPower website on how to save energy, organise together and care for our homes and devices.

The bigger picture: putting equity up front during change

We know that gas is a disaster for our climate. It is the second-largest contributor to global heating and is a greenhouse gas 85 times more potent than carbon dioxide.² We also know that the impacts of climate change will not be shared equitably. People in poor quality housing, older people, those on lower incomes and others need support and solidarity. With all that must be done to stop burning fossil fuels, it’s essential that equity is embedded the whole way. It is not one or the other. Efficient electrification is essential for reducing emissions and will improve lives, and we must make sure it is accessible to everyone.

Now is a crucial time to show leaders that people support electrification. Join Environment Victoria’s campaign to repower homes with clean energy via Environment Victoria’s website (scroll down to ‘Join the Push’).

¹ ‘Victorian Rental Minimum Standards: Market Impact One Year on and What’s to Come – Realestate.Com.Au’, accessed 18 June 2024, https://www.realestate.com.au/news/victorian-rental-minimum-standards-market-impact-one-year-on-and-whats-to-come/; Chris Martin et al., ‘Regulation of Residential Tenancies and Impacts on Investment’, 28 November 2022, https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/sr65b.
² Lesley Hughes, ‘Gas Is Burning Our Climate Faster, and Australia’s Part of the Problem’, The Age, 8 December 2024, https://www.theage.com.au/environment/climate-change/gas-is-burning-our-climate-faster-and-australia-s-part-of-the-problem-20241204-p5kvoc.html.