Gas-to-electric rebates in the ACT: what should I replace first?

List each gas appliance, whether it still works and which needs replacing first. Add any planned renovation. Check the funding route before asking suppliers to quote the sequence, because some ACT support requires a whole-home move away from gas.

Which ACT support route should I check first?

If you are an eligible concession homeowner, check Home Energy Support and the remaining upgrade allowance. Heating, hot water, electric cooking and ceiling insulation share one category cap; replacing two appliances does not create two allowances. If borrowing is suitable, check Sustainable Household Scheme eligibility, interest and earlier participation.

If you cannot afford the work or repayments, ask Care Financial about Access to Electric before committing. It fully funds approved upgrades for eligible ACT homeowners in hardship. You must own and occupy the eligible home, meet the program’s National Rental Affordability Scheme income limits and land-value test, and own no other property. Apartments and new builds are excluded. Prior Home Energy Support or Sustainable Household Scheme funding also excludes applicants under its published guidelines. Check eligibility and the assessment contact (opens in a new tab).

That order can matter. Using another support program first can affect the assessed hardship pathway. Check eligibility before spending money on an upgrade you hope the program will later cover.

Do I need to replace every gas appliance at once?

The ordinary loan scheme allows eligible products to be installed individually or together within the household’s available limit. Access to Electric has a different requirement: participants agree to replace all gas appliances and permanently disconnect gas, with approved insulation where required. Plan to the rules of the route you are using.

How do I choose the first job?

If a hot-water system has failed, ask for an urgent replacement plan and the approval steps before work starts. If the appliances still work, use the time to compare the whole sequence. Request an itemised plan showing which jobs happen together, which can wait and what later electrical work may still be needed.

Ask the heating installer to assess the rooms and the home’s heat loss before choosing equipment. Include insulation and draught-proofing in that discussion. Ask which improvements would affect the proposed heating size and comfort. The ACT Government’s planning services and free eligible home-efficiency assessment route (opens in a new tab) can help ACT households consider the home as a whole.

What electrical and installation work needs checking?

• Ask a licensed electrician to assess the combined needs of the planned appliances, circuits, switchboard and connection.
• Ask whether electrical work can be done once for the whole sequence, and what later work may still be needed.
• Confirm space, placement and performance for the hot-water heat pump and heating system.
• Include removal of old appliances, any gas work, site access and restoration in the quotes.
• Separate equipment costs, extra work, confirmed support and the money paid first.

The ACT hot-water buyer guide highlights winter performance, electrical and plumbing requirements, placement and noise. Check the specific installation with licensed trades. For scheme finance, ask which preparatory works are eligible before assuming that every extra cost can be borrowed.

Will replacing one appliance stop my gas supply charge?

You still need a gas account while other gas appliances remain in use. Once the last appliance is replaced, ask the retailer about closing the account and the appropriate disconnection or abolishment route. Turning an appliance off does not by itself complete that process.

ACT guidance distinguishes disconnection, which closes the account and caps the gas line, from abolishment, which permanently removes the connection. The work, cost and safety considerations differ. Ask licensed trades and the retailer which route fits the home and any support-program condition. Read the ACT gas-connection guidance (opens in a new tab).

Keep the final gas-account and connection work in the budget. If the account is with us, use our meter-removal process (opens in a new tab) and ask for the current cost and closure date. If another retailer holds it, arrange those steps through that retailer. Confirm that no appliance still needs gas before arranging closure.

Should I review my electricity plan as well?

Yes. Electric heating, hot water or cooking changes the electricity your home needs. Ask for a comparison using the proposed operating times and different seasons. For a heating upgrade in the region, include the winter estimate and any gas charges that remain while the work is staged.

Put the electricity estimate, any continuing gas-account costs and the full installation sequence beside one another. Once the final gas appliance is replaced, confirm the closure and connection work described above. Ask what evidence supports the estimated energy costs so you can compare the proposed home with the current one.

What can I do before arranging quotes?

• Write down the remaining gas appliances and which need urgent replacement.
• Get the concession card, rates notice and record of earlier support together.
• Check the funding route and any approval needed before accepting work.
• Request a whole-home sequence with the complete costs and payment dates.
• Add gas-account closure and connection work to the plan for the final appliance.

For an ACT home, check the government’s planning tools (opens in a new tab). For a home in Queanbeyan or elsewhere in NSW, start with NSW upgrade support: ACT program eligibility does not transfer across the border.

Related advice: What should I electrify first? · Heat-pump hot-water rebates in the ACT and NSW: what will I actually pay?

Plan your next electric upgrade with us

Our heating and cooling upgrade (opens in a new tab) and hot-water upgrade (opens in a new tab) pages explain offers for eligible ACT electricity customers replacing the specified gas systems. If you’re with another retailer, you can still follow the government routes above and ask us about our service requirements. Use our plan guidance (opens in a new tab) to consider the electricity demand after the change.

See what you can save with Electrify (opens in a new tab)