Read our new Electric Homes and Vehicles report
As domestic gas supplies dwindle, homes are at risk of exponential cost rises and loss of supply. Financing electric upgrades is the best way to avoid a chaotic transition and is especially important for low-income households.
Welcome to the gas death spiral. No, it's not a heavy metal band or a wrestling move; it's the inevitable decline of the fossil gas network and the steadily increasing costs faced by those who are still stuck on it. �
In an RNZ story by Eloise Gibson, Vector chief executive Simon McKenzie warned that it might need to stop supplying gas to some suburbs due to dwindling supplies. While the decision to buy a gas hot water system or gas cooktop might seem safe now, it could come back to bite you in a few years when you find you can't fuel it - and if you can, the fuel is likely to be prohibitively expensive, as those who went early on hydrogen cars are now finding out.
We can choose to have an orderly transition off gas and help homes (especially low-income homes) finance upgrades to electric machines, or we can have a chaotic transition off gas where supply is occasionally shut off, networks eventually shut down and homeowners may be forced to rip out appliances and are burdened with unplanned costs.
Many countries are realising that they shouldn't be sleepwalking into the death spiral. Even Australia, which is one of the world's largest fossil gas exporters, knows gas has no future in the home for a few good reasons:
💲 It makes no economic sense (and renewable gas makes even less economic sense).
🤧 It is a leading cause of respiratory illness in the home, so we are basically paying extra to get asthma.
🌍 And burning it creates unnecessary emissions that are definitely not compatible with any of our climate targets.Households need to be able to swap fuel for finance if they want to electrify and get off the gas. If you want this transition to be orderly, ask your MP why the right kind of finance isn't being offered.
Find out more about the electric upgrade options and how much you can save in our electrification guides.
“We’ve only got one transmission line coming in through a gorge, and all our road access traverses the sides of steep mountains. ”If the line came down and road access was cut, the area’s diesel generators could run out of fuel well before the line was restored, particularly if widespread damage throughout the South Island made the emergency response slow.
Read moreDownloadThe Age of Electricity continues to ramp up and solar and wind are providing the extra juice; ASB releases a report on why businesses need to take energy into their own hands, but Mitre 10 Mega in Silverdale and the Christchurch Art Gallery already know that; global EV sales continue to rise and two-way charging is a massive opportunity, according to the World Economic Forum; research shows (and anecdotal evidence confirms) that concerns about battery longevity of EVs are unfounded.; The Spinoff's Robbie Nichol uses our explainer to explain plug-in solar; there's no need to heat rooms when you can heat humans directly; and some truly remarkable features from Zeekr and Xpeng.
Read moreDownload
