The promise of going fully electric sounds compelling — lower bills, no gas connection fees, energy independence. But how much do real Australian households actually save? We've put together three detailed case studies based on typical Australian homes to show you the real numbers, including upfront costs, ongoing savings, and the often-overlooked compound effects of combining multiple upgrades.
Case Study 1: Melbourne Family of Four
Before Electrification
| Expense | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity bill | $2,200 |
| Gas bill (hot water, heating, cooking) | $1,800 |
| Gas supply charge (included in gas bill) | $350 |
| Total annual energy cost | $4,000 |
What They Did
- Installed a 10kW solar system (after STCs: $8,500)
- Replaced gas storage hot water with a heat pump (after rebates: $1,800)
- Replaced gas ducted heating with ducted reverse cycle AC (after VEU rebate: $4,500)
- Switched gas cooktop to induction ($1,200)
- Disconnected gas supply
- Total invested: $16,000
After Electrification
| Expense | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity bill (after solar offset) | $600 |
| Gas bill | $0 |
| Total annual energy cost | $600 |
| Annual saving | $3,400 |
Case Study 2: Sydney Couple (No Kids)
Before Electrification
| Expense | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity bill | $1,400 |
| Gas bill (hot water, cooking) | $900 |
| Gas supply charge (included in gas bill) | $320 |
| Total annual energy cost | $2,300 |
What They Did
- Installed a 6.6kW solar system (after STCs: $6,000)
- Replaced gas instantaneous hot water with a heat pump (after rebates: $2,200)
- Switched gas cooktop to induction ($900)
- Disconnected gas supply
- Total invested: $9,100
After Electrification
| Expense | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity bill (after solar offset) | $400 |
| Gas bill | $0 |
| Total annual energy cost | $400 |
| Annual saving | $1,900 |
Payback: 4.8 years. This couple had a smaller gas bill to begin with, but the gas supply charge elimination ($320/yr) represents a significant chunk of their savings — money they were paying just for the privilege of being connected to gas.
Case Study 3: Brisbane Family with Pool
Before Electrification
| Expense | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity bill (including pool pump) | $3,000 |
| Gas bill | $0 (all-electric already) |
| Total annual energy cost | $3,000 |
What They Did
- Installed a 10kW solar system (after STCs: $8,000)
- Replaced old electric resistance hot water with a heat pump (after rebates: $2,000)
- Replaced single-speed pool pump with variable speed pump ($1,500)
- Total invested: $11,500
After Upgrades
| Expense | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Electricity bill (after solar offset) | $800 |
| Total annual energy cost | $800 |
| Annual saving | $2,200 |
Payback: 5.2 years. This Brisbane family was already all-electric but was paying top dollar for hot water and pool filtration. Solar combined with efficient appliances cut their bill by 73%.
The Gas Supply Charge: The Hidden Saving
One saving that's often overlooked is the gas supply charge. Every gas customer pays a daily connection fee — typically 85c to $1.00 per day — regardless of how much gas they use. That's $310–$365 per year before you've used a single megajoule of gas.
When you replace your last gas appliance and disconnect from the gas network, that supply charge disappears entirely. For households that only use a small amount of gas (e.g., just cooking), the supply charge can represent 30–50% of the total gas bill. Eliminating it makes the economics of switching the cooktop to induction far more attractive than the cooking gas savings alone would suggest.
The Compound Effect of Multiple Upgrades
Individual upgrades are good. Combined upgrades are transformative. Here's why:
- Solar makes everything cheaper: Once you have solar, every electric appliance you add (heat pump, induction cooktop, EV charger) runs partly or fully on free solar electricity. The more electric loads you have during solar hours, the more value you extract from your panels.
- Each gas appliance removed brings you closer to gas disconnection: You only eliminate the gas supply charge when you remove the last gas appliance. But each one you remove makes the remaining gas connection less justifiable.
- Efficient electric appliances use less total energy: A heat pump uses one-third the energy of a gas system. Reverse cycle heating is 3–5x more efficient than gas heating. When you switch to efficient electric, your total household energy consumption drops — even though everything runs on electricity.
- Self-consumption rises with more daytime loads: Solar panels produce power during the day. The more things you run during daylight (heat pump heating water, EV charging, pool pump filtering), the less you export at low feed-in rates and the more you use at full retail value.
Use our Whole Home calculator to model your specific household's savings. Enter your current electricity and gas bills, select your state, and see exactly how much you could save by going fully electric.