All-electric new build in Adelaide: how to eliminate gas from day one

The first and largest decision is to skip the gas connection at design stage. Not installing the connection saves several thousand dollars in connection fees, avoids ongoing gas supply charges (which apply even for low usage), and eliminates the gas meter and gas pipe run through the home.

From a design perspective, no gas means no gas venting requirements, no gas line inspections, no gas isolation valves. The build detailing simplifies, particularly around the kitchen and any gas-heated fireplaces.

Some Adelaide builders default to including a gas connection for the cooktop. Push back at contract stage. Confirm in writing that the specification is fully electric. If the builder resists, ask why; the reason is almost always inertia rather than technical necessity.

Induction cooking has advanced significantly in the last decade. Modern induction cooktops match or exceed gas cooktops for boiling speed, temperature control, and simmer stability.

The technical basis: induction cooktops use magnetic induction to heat the cookware directly. No open flame, no radiant element, no heat loss to the surrounding air. Boiling a litre of water takes around three minutes on induction, compared to five to six minutes on gas.

The one genuine change is cookware compatibility. Induction requires ferrous cookware (steel or cast iron); pure aluminium and copper pans do not work. Most modern cookware is induction-compatible, and the marking is standard. Check the base of any existing pans; those that a magnet sticks to will work on induction.

For a family that entertains extensively, choose a cooktop with at least four cooking zones and at least one large zone (typically 300mm diameter) for large pots or woks. Bridge features that combine adjacent zones for rectangular cookware are worth having if you use griddles or large baking dishes.

Heat pump hot water systems use a small compressor to extract heat from the ambient air and transfer it to the water tank. In the Adelaide climate this delivers a coefficient of performance of 3 to 4, meaning each unit of electricity delivers 3 to 4 units of heating.

Compared to gas hot water (typically 80 to 90 percent efficient) or resistive electric hot water (100 percent efficient but consuming much more electricity), heat pump water delivers the lowest running cost in Adelaide.

Choose a unit sized for the household. A four-person family typically uses 250 to 350 litres of hot water daily. A 315-litre tank suits most Adelaide households; a 270-litre suits smaller households.

Position the unit where it can access ambient air freely. A garage, an outdoor alcove, or a service courtyard all work. Do not install inside a small internal cupboard where airflow is restricted; this significantly reduces efficiency.

Common brands in the Adelaide market include Rheem, Stiebel Eltron, Sanden, and Reclaim Energy. Get quotes from at least two suppliers before selecting.

Ducted reverse-cycle air conditioning is the mainstream heating and cooling solution for all-electric Adelaide homes. A single system provides both heating and cooling, with high efficiency in both modes.

Size the system based on the calculated heating and cooling load of the home. For a well-insulated modern home this is typically 8 to 14 kW capacity for a four-bedroom family home. Undersizing produces uncomfortable outcomes on extreme days; oversizing wastes energy and money.

Zone the system to allow independent control of living zones and sleeping zones. This lets the family cool only the occupied spaces during hot afternoons and heat only the bedrooms overnight. Zoning is easy to design in at construction and difficult to retrofit later.

Integrate the ducted system with the MVHR if the home is Passivhaus. The two systems perform different functions (temperature vs air quality) and need to coexist without conflict. A specialist HVAC designer with Passivhaus experience is worth engaging.

All-electric homes pair naturally with solar and battery storage. Every appliance runs on the same energy carrier that solar produces, and the load pattern matches solar generation reasonably well.

Size the solar system for the whole-of-home load. For a typical Adelaide four-bedroom all-electric home, a 8 to 12 kW solar array covers 70 to 100 percent of annual electricity consumption. Roof space and orientation constraints often govern the actual size.

A battery is a further step toward energy independence. Sized at 10 to 20 kWh usable capacity, a battery can shift most of the daytime solar generation into evening use, reducing grid dependence significantly.

Feed-in tariffs in South Australia are lower than they were a decade ago, so self-consumption is worth more than export. This makes storage more attractive than in earlier years.

Discuss the solar and battery specification with an energy consultant, not just an installer. The optimal sizing depends on the appliance load pattern, the household occupancy schedule, and the tariff structure. A tailored recommendation is worth the modest consulting fee.