How to get off gas in NSW, and what it costs

• You stop paying to be connected. Every gas home pays a daily supply charge whether it uses gas or not, about $292 a year on Jemena's network.
• Electric appliances cost less to run. A heat pump makes hot water using about a third of the energy, so it costs about $210 a year less than gas for a typical home.
• They work with solar. A heat pump or induction cooktop can run on your own solar power. A gas heater cannot.
• Cleaner air indoors. No gas burning in the kitchen means no fumes from the cooktop.

1. List your gas appliances. Most homes have gas hot water, and some have gas heating, a gas cooktop or oven, a fireplace, a pool heater or a plumbed in barbecue.
2. Replace them with electric ones. Start with hot water, which uses the most gas: a heat pump is the usual choice. Then an induction cooktop, and a reverse cycle air conditioner (a split system that heats and cools) for heating. You can do this all at once or as each one wears out.
3. Ask each installer to cap the gas. A licensed gasfitter disconnects the old appliance and seals the pipe. Getting it done as part of the install saves a separate call out.
4. Check your switchboard. A heat pump and an induction cooktop each need their own circuit. An older switchboard may need an upgrade first; your electrician will tell you.
5. Call your gas retailer and ask for an "abolishment". That is the word for removing the meter for good. A "disconnection" only locks the meter, and you may keep paying the supply charge. If you have no gas retailer, Jemena customers can apply through Jemena's Gas Portal.
6. The network removes the meter. A technician from your gas network (Jemena in most of NSW) cuts off the supply and takes the meter away. Someone may need to be home to give access.
7. Pay your final bill. Your retailer sends a last bill with the gas you used and the abolishment charge. After that the supply charge stops.

Typical prices in NSW in 2026, including GST, before any rebates:

For a typical home, replacing gas hot water with a heat pump and removing the meter in a Jemena area comes to about $3,785 ($3,500 heat pump + $285 for Jemena to remove the gas meter) and saves about $502 a year. These savings assume gas at 3.6 cents per megajoule (MJ, the unit on your gas bill) and electricity at 37.8 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), for a home using about 14,000 MJ of gas a year on hot water.

The network is the company that owns the pipes and meter, not the retailer you pay. Your gas bill names it. These are the charges from 1 July 2026, including GST:

* Not published for this network, so we show the charge of the same owner's main network. Your retailer can confirm it. Supply charges are typical retail offers and vary by plan.

Jemena's charge fell from about $1,200 to $285 on 1 July 2026, after the Australian Energy Regulator capped it until June 2030. Some jobs, such as a home being renovated or rebuilt, are charged Jemena's full cost instead, about $1,370 with GST. Homes with no mains gas, such as on the North Coast and in the Far West, use bottled gas: there is no meter to remove and the supplier collects its bottles.

There is no rebate for removing the meter, but the appliances that replace gas get discounts:

• Federal STCs (small scale technology certificates), a discount your installer takes off the price of a heat pump. See the Clean Energy Regulator.
• NSW hot water upgrade incentive, up to $330 off a heat pump that replaces gas hot water. NSW Government.
• NSW air conditioner upgrade incentive, a discount on an efficient reverse cycle air conditioner. NSW Government.
• NSW Home Energy Saver loan, up to $15,000 at 0% interest for heat pumps, induction cooktops, air conditioners and more. See our guide to the loan.

Our home check works out which of these apply at your address, including any council rebates.

How much does it cost to remove a gas meter in NSW?

In most of NSW, Jemena's standard charge is $285 including GST ($259.06 plus GST), set by the Australian Energy Regulator from 1 July 2026 to June 2030. Around Albury, Australian Gas Networks charges about $259. In Queanbeyan, Evoenergy charges about $822. Your retailer bills you for it.

What is the difference between disconnecting and abolishing gas?

A disconnection locks the meter so no gas flows, but the meter stays and you may keep paying the daily supply charge. Jemena charges about $84 plus GST for it. An abolishment removes the meter and cuts the supply for good, so the supply charge stops. If you are off gas for good, ask for an abolishment.

How much will I save by getting off gas?

For a typical NSW home, swapping gas hot water for a heat pump saves about $210 a year in running costs. Once the last gas appliance goes, you also stop paying the daily supply charge, about $292 a year on Jemena's network. Together that is about $502 a year.

Do I need a plumber or gasfitter?

Yes, for each appliance. Only a licensed gasfitter can disconnect a gas appliance and cap the pipe. Ask the installer of your new heat pump or cooktop to do it as part of the job. The gas network's own technician removes the meter, which you arrange through your retailer.

What happens to the gas pipes on my property?

The network cuts off the supply and takes the meter away. The pipe on your side of the boundary belongs to you and is usually left in the ground, capped. It is safe once the supply is cut off.

Should I replace everything at once?

Not unless it suits you. Many people replace each gas appliance when it wears out, starting with hot water because it uses the most gas. You only save the supply charge once the last one is gone, so it pays to plan the final swap.

I am on bottled gas. What do I do?

Where there is no mains gas, such as the North Coast and Far West, gas comes in bottles. Once your appliances are electric, ask your supplier to collect its bottles and close your account. You stop paying the yearly bottle charge, about $80 to $100 for two bottles, and there is no meter to remove.

Can I get a rebate for getting off gas?

There is no rebate for removing the meter itself. There are discounts on the electric appliances that replace gas: federal STCs and the NSW Energy Savings Scheme for a heat pump (up to $330 when it replaces gas), the NSW air conditioner incentive, and the NSW Home Energy Saver loan, which lends up to $15,000 at 0% interest.

Type your address to see the cost of replacing your gas hot water, the meter removal charge for your area, and the rebates you can get.