‘Powering Up’: A Guide to Electrification of Council-Owned Buildings
Timeframe: September 2022 – January 2023
A recent survey conducted across SECCCA councils indicated there is a need for further guidelines and evidence base in gas-to-electric conversions in council-owned buildings for specific appliances and building types.
In the past, gas appliances have been much cheaper to operate, however electrical heating, cooking and hot water are becoming increasingly efficient, leading to cost savings.
Natural gas releases greenhouse gases when burned, and significantly more when it leaks. There is currently no renewable equivalent to natural gas, whereas electricity can be sourced from renewable energy facilities such as solar, wind and hydro.
Gas appliances are typically used for heating, hot water and cooking. The cost effectiveness of switching from gas to electric depends on the type of building, efficiency of appliances, usage profile and current gas and electricity rates.
The “Powering Up” project will provide member councils with a guide to help identify opportunities to replace gas appliances with electric in council buildings, as well as estimate costs and savings, build business cases, and provide data to meet council targets. This project will provide support and capacity-building to member councils through collaboration to identify cost savings and emission reduction opportunities.
The overarching objective is to provide a guide for councils to easily prepare a business case to convert council buildings to electric. The specific objectives include:
Approximate usage and maintenance cost comparison for electric and gas use broken down by:
common appliance (e.g. hot water systems, heating/cooling systems, kitchen appliances)
building type (e.g. community centres, sporting pavilions, office buildings)
Approximate replacement costs, broken down by appliance type;
Switchboard considerations for additional electrical load;
Approximate service charge savings due to turning off gas supply;
Approximate GHG reductions and environmental effects; and,
Data that can be used to align projects to Council plans and objectives.