Turning off your gas... For the last time
You know that feeling when you get two letters in the post? You eye them both off and know they are bills (its inevitable). You open the first one and find it’s you electricity bill… not bad the Solar PV on your roof is doing an OK job helping to offset your use, That connection charge seems to have crept up again though…. O well. Next you move on to the second bill, This time your gas bill. What that seems high! Have the kids had longer showers than usual? What to do…. You grab your computer and start researching a drill rig for gas exploration, surely there will be an decent ROI if you find a decent pocket of gas and can feed it back to the gas grid.
The truth is you cannot offset your gas use by onsite gas generation. (I could imagine the neighbours might be a bit upset by the sudden installation of gas extraction infrastructure next door also.)
Thinking back to the first bill you realise that you are generating electricity onsite and it would be better to work out a way to use some of that to run your house
“The truth is you cannot offset your gas use by onsite gas generation..”
Where can I use Electricity in the home?
As a home owner you have a number of appliances that you could look to convert to electricity to allow you to leverage onsite electricity generation from Solar PV and also reduce you carbon footprint thorough the use of brought in electrical energy from renewable sources from the grid:
- Cooking – Mention electric cooktops to someone that likes cooking with gas and watch them turn and run. The truth is cooktops have come along way especially with the introduction of induction cooktops. We have spoken to “lovers” of gas cooking who have been pleasantly surprised and have converted over.
- Hot Water – Generating hot water on site utilising energy from your solar PV is very well suited to a QUALITY air to water hot water heat pump. Air to water heat pumps can be between 50 to 75% more efficient than electric hot water systems. Whilst some earlier and current (read cheap rubbish) heat pump hot water systems have done a good job damaging the reputation of heat pumps there are also some very good and well designed units in the market that will give you years of trouble free hot water.
- Pool Heating – Did you know that you can also use efficient air to water and geoexchange heat pumps to heat your pool and your spa. The bonus with geoexchange heat pumps is that when you are cooling your home you can reject the heat to the pool ~ cool house = warm house.
- Heating and Cooling – Upgrading or installing energy efficient electrically driven heating and cooling allows you to consume any electric you generate on site to help keep you comfortable. Generally the highest proportion of you energy use in the home is from heating and cooling.
- Geoexchange Ducted Heating and Cooling
- Hydronic Radiator Panels with Air to Water or Geoexchange Heat Pump
- Hydronic Infloor Heating with Air to Water or Geoexchange Heat Pump
- Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning or Evaporative Cooling
What should I do if I want to turn my gas off?
Don’ rush out and turn it off yet… unless you like cold showers and non cooked food. Currently we are working with a number of people moving away from using gas in their homes and the best start is to send us an email and let us know you want to turn your gas off. We can then take a look at your requirements and make recommendations as to the best course of action you can take.
If you like to know more about how To turn your gas off please feel free to contact us.
