Australia has voted and it is clear that climate change is a current issue that we feel strongly about. With this in mind, and gas prices currently on the rise, can we expect electric homes (with no gas) to be the way of the future? It is definitely a possibility and at Manor Homes we believe that sustainability can go hand in hand with a stylish home. You can request particular options when building with us, such as electric appliances, hot water, and ways to optimise electric heating. Improve your family’s health, lessen your home’s environmental impact, lower your energy bills, and even produce your own energy via solar, by investing in an all electric home.
Go all electric with Manor Homes
If you’re looking to build an electric home with us, simply ask for the following options for your cooking, hot water and heating.
- Electric cooking: We offer electric cooktops as an option for our homes. Enjoy the more gradual heat of electric cooking and a stovetop that is also much easier to clean than its gas counterpart. You can upgrade to an electric ceramic cooktop, for a few hundred dollars more, for an even more stylish cooking experience. There is also the option of an induction cooktop, which heats quickly, is similarly easy to clean and also offers a safety element - the stovetop does not heat up unless a pot is sitting on it, which lessens the likelihood of burns.
- Electric hot water: We can install electric hot water, instead of the standard gas system, which has many benefits compared to gas. It is more compact, easier to install and as long as you have electricity in your home, you will never run out of hot water.
- Electric heating: Manor Homes provides excellent insulation in our builds, but heating isn’t included as a standard. An energy efficient thermal shell will provide all round comfort, no matter the weather outside. With that in mind, some options you have are to:
- Add more insulation - whether in the roof, walls, via double glazed windows, or even to the underfloor
- Add ducted air conditioning
- Add a split system air conditioner
Benefits of going all electric
Whether you make a gradual change in an existing home or go electric from the start in a new one, benefits include: lower costs, better health, less impact on the environment, improved technological efficiency or a mixture of all of these.
- Save on gas supply and connection fees: Gas prices are rising and look to continue in this manner, so it makes financial sense to cut out the cost of gas supply and connection fees. Tim Forcey, an advocate of all-electric and former energy assessor at the Australian Energy Foundation says, “People are leaving the gas grid because they’re finding. . .the cost of heating your home with these modern reverse cycle air conditioners can be as little as one-third of what it costs to heat with ducted gas” (Australian Energy Foundation, 2021).
- Option to produce your own electricity: If you add a solar PV system to your home and produce your own electricity, you can reduce running costs even more. What could be more economical than using the sun as a power source in Australia? It’s a sensible investment.
- Technologically efficient: Electric appliances have become more efficient than they used to be, which also makes them cheaper to run. Research by Renew shows that for a home with only one appliance still on gas, it makes financial sense to switch to all-electric. And many homes will be financially better off going all-electric even if they need to switch two appliances.
- Better for your health: Electric heating and cooling is healthier because air conditioners offer sophisticated air filtering, which is good for asthmatics in comparison to gas or wood heaters. Gas heaters simply circulate the same air and wood heaters can exacerbate symptoms in asthma sufferers. Electric appliances are also safer because they don’t carry a carbon monoxide risk.
- Eco Friendly: All electric homes are carbon neutral, as they produce the same amount of energy that they use. This absolutely makes a difference to climate change. Imagine if people en masse changed to all-electric? We would be well on our way to sustainable living as a community. New estates which are only serviced electricity, and gas no longer supplied, will hopefully become the norm in the years to come.
At Manor Homes we pride ourselves on being able to assist our clients in customising their homes. We are also passionate supporters of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices. If you are interested in creating a home without a gas supply or gas appliances, we are happy to assist you in making that dream a reality. Enjoy the many benefits of an all electric home, now and into the future.
