Word is on the street that new builds in Victoria no longer have to use a gas-boosted solar hot water service.
That’s because, drum roll please, this has been a long time coming…
Heat pumps are now deemed to meet the rules around energy efficient building.
That’s right folks, the government has finally worked out that heat pumps are efficient, who knew?
What’s The Fuss About?
For some years now, people building a new house in Victoria have had a number of efficiency measures to meet to satisfy Victorian Building Authority rules. For those in the know, it seemed a little ridiculous that getting enough points to approve your new house plans would mean, either you are forced to have a gas connection if reticulated gas was on the street (to boost a solar storage hot water) or conversely you needed a 2000 litre rainwater tank to flush the loo.
That option doesn’t do much for your energy bills, but I assure you that having an electric pump to fill your cistern is a significant reliability and maintenance cost. It’s also something that your landlord will have disconnected and abandoned when it packs up, whereas a gas hot water unit just leaves renters on the hook for gas.
Gas Is Banned For New Estates, What About Old Ones?
You may want to get proper government clarification on the implications of this – for any new build that requires a planning permit that commences after 1 Jan 2024, this will essentially be superseded by the ban on gas connections. Where this really has an impact are knock down/rebuilds or infill new builds who don’t want gas-boosted solar hot water.
It would start from yesterday’s date, so for anyone already building, it wouldn’t apply, as they would have met old criteria in their building permit. If I were building with plans approved before 1 Jan 2024, I wouldn’t want to install gas anything, so it may be worth inquiring about the changes being applied.
Can We Please Have Some Cross-Border Rivalry Here?
I shouldn’t be too hard on the Victorian Government for being slow to recognise heat pumps. They’ve had the foresight and political will to ban gas connections in new homes, which is just great news for consumers who would otherwise be on the hook for ongoing gas bills.
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