Complex issues: how to get your apartment block off gas – before it’s too late
News Source
•Fri, 23 Oct 2026 23:00:16 GMT
📰 What Happened
More Australian homes are switching off gas. Gas cooktops are being replaced with induction stoves, gas hot water with heat pumps, and gas heaters with reverse-cycle air conditioners. In a house, that is usually simple. In a block of flats it is not, because owners have to agree.
An engineer warns that if every owner swaps appliances on their own, the extra electrical load can overload the building's switchboard. Unplanned electric car chargers add to the problem, and the building may need a costly upgrade to its grid connection.
Shared gas equipment, like central hot water, pool heaters and building-wide heating and cooling, needs the owners corporation to act.
🔍 The Backstory
One case shows what is possible. In Brunswick, Melbourne, the owners of 18 flats replaced a failing gas hot water system with heat pumps and solar panels. The job took four days, wiped out a $19,000 yearly gas bill, and paid for itself in under two years.
Experts say the hard part is usually people, not pipes. Bigger buildings mean more disagreement, and framing the change as an environmental campaign can split neighbours into sides.
The advice is to fold gas replacement into a long-term maintenance plan, so owners save for it gradually instead of paying for an emergency fix.
🎯 Why It Matters
Owners who plan upgrades together can cut bills and emissions at the same time. Waiting until old gas equipment fails usually costs more and leaves no time to compare quotes.
More Australian homes are switching off gas. Gas cooktops are being replaced with induction stoves, gas hot water with heat pumps, and gas heaters with reverse-cycle air conditioners. In a house, that is usually simple. In a block of flats it is not, because owners have to agree.
An engineer warns that if every owner swaps appliances on their own, the extra electrical load can overload the building's switchboard. Unplanned electric car chargers add to the problem, and the building may need a costly upgrade to its grid connection.
Shared gas equipment, like central hot water, pool heaters and building-wide heating and cooling, needs the owners corporation to act.
One case shows what is possible. In Brunswick, Melbourne, the owners of 18 flats replaced a failing gas hot water system with heat pumps and solar panels. The job took four days, wiped out a $19,000 yearly gas bill, and paid for itself in under two years.
Experts say the hard part is usually people, not pipes. Bigger buildings mean more disagreement, and framing the change as an environmental campaign can split neighbours into sides.
The advice is to fold gas replacement into a long-term maintenance plan, so owners save for it gradually instead of paying for an emergency fix.
Owners who plan upgrades together can cut bills and emissions at the same time. Waiting until old gas equipment fails usually costs more and leaves no time to compare quotes.