Going gas free likely to save Cape residents $2 million over 10 years

Its official, using gas appliances for cooking, heating and hot water costs a lot more than using efficient all-electric appliances in your home.

Above: One of the efficient all electric homes, designed by Adapt Design Group, at The Cape sustainable housing project, Cape Paterson

A June report from the Alternative Technology Association found that owners will be between $9,000 – $16,000 better off over 10 years if they establish their new home as all-electric with a 5-kilowatt solar system rather than gas-electric with no solar. Best practice Cape homes are using efficient reverse cycle heating, cooling and hot water systems, high performance induction cooktops and solar power. “There is just no reason economically for new homes to be built with both electricity and gas’, according to report co-author and ATA energy analyst Dean Lombard.

The ATA research shows that The Cape community is on track to collectively save around $2 million over 10 years by not using gas once all homes are completed. This is just one of the many reasons why more and more people are choosing The Cape lifestyle – living comfortably in all weather conditions with energy bills that are a fraction of the state average.

“By eliminating gas from the whole estate and replacing with the highly efficient all electric home operating systems and solar power, our householders avoid annual gas usage and gas connection costs, as well as the upfront construction costs of connecting to gas and running gas plumbing through homes that occur with gas-connected estates,” said The Cape’s director, Brendan Condon.

Above: The CORE9 house at The Cape maximises solar power generation, even in winter.

This report comes after a separate report from the ATA last year that confirmed some lingering questions around the economics of grid connected solar systems.

Previously the ATA, and other reputable industry bodies, had advised people to consider a household’s electricity consumption prior to sizing a new solar array. Now, however, the report recommends installation of larger solar systems even if a household’s power consumption is low.

Over the last 5 years large systems of five kilowatts or more have fallen in price significantly more than smaller systems, while feed-in tariffs more than doubled in 2017 with households now receiving a minimum of 11.3c/kWh for their exports back to the grid.

The report found that the payback period of a 2 kilowatt system was usually very similar to that of a 5 kilowatt system. The end result means that the owner sees far greater savings on their energy bill for the majority of the 25 year guaranteed life of the panels.

We’re thrilled to have more people choosing to join The Cape community each month. Stage 2 lots are selling fast so phone PBE on 5674 8044 today to talk about your sea-change.

The Cape’s display home is open every Saturday and Sunday from 12 midday until 4pm. Visit us to see how well our award winning homes perform in winter, or have a look around at Stage 2 construction progress.

Warm regards,

The Cape team