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We love a tipping point at Rewiring. We reached an important one last year when our Electric Home research showed that New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world where buying and running electric machines in your home was cheaper than gas and petrol equivalents. And we may have reached another one recently because residential gas connections have dropped from 291,586 in mid-December to 290,530 in mid-April.
Given expected average price increases of around 10% per year, the lack of options customers now have to shift suppliers, and the potential savings from going electric, we're predicting they will keep dropping as we enter what's known as the 'gas death spiral'.
It's important to note that a small proportion of our total gas supply is used by homes. Most of it is used for industry and electricity generation, and there was a bit of a shake-up in 2024 when we dealth with a dry year and a gas shortage.
But it's also important to note that gas in homes makes no sense: it's more expensive, you need to pay more to give your kids asthma, and it's worse for the environment.
Unfortunately, New Zealanders who want to disconnect from the gas network are being confronted with exorbitant costs. Consumer NZ is doing some good work policing the fees being charged to customers, but more needs to be done to reduce them. And more needs to be done to ensure those who are forced to remain on the network aren't burdened by the costs of maintaining it.
If your gas water heater, gas fire or gas cooktop are getting on a bit, don't invest in the wrong tech and get locked into another 15 years of rising prices and unnecessary emissions. Make your next purchasing decision electric.
Check out TVNZ's piece on rising gas prices here https://loom.ly/kR4YpLc
And RNZ's reporting here https://loom.ly/YcTOb5c
How the sun led to higher salaries for teachers in the US and why this should be happening here, too; how "the once-rigid link between economic growth and carbon emissions is breaking across the vast majority of the world" as electrification gives more countries a productivity boost (and how that would allow New Zealand to keep embracing our long, languid summer break); solar continues to weather storms and provide 'free resilience'; Dunedin laundry company Preens goes electric and saves over 300 utes worth of emissions; the company that wants you to drink diesel exhaust; and a wonderful rundown of the Kill Bills tour - and the national electrification opportunity - from one of the tour sponsors.
Read moreDownloadAs gas supplies decline and prices rise, electrification is the best bet, but it's hard for big businesses without government support. Kirsty Johnston talks to Rainbow Nurseries about how it made the switch with help from a grant, and others who are unsure they will be able to keep getting gas. As one busines owner said: "We never considered the risk to the business of not actually having natural gas," one participant said. "We always expect that the price could fluctuate… But we never anticipated maybe having no gas coming from the pipeline." There are ways for the Government to help. And there is a huge amount of new renewable electricity coming on stream, so there won't be a shortage of electrons.
Read moreDownloadMarc Daalder reports on Vector's declining gas network and how it is responding to falling customer numbers. As he writes: "Gas in Auckland is formally past its peak in the latest forecasts from Vector, the city’s only gas distribution business, with new connections set to fall to zero in three years ... From 2029, there would be no new residential or commercial connections – with new industrial connections projected to have already ceased this year."
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