In most cases, no. Since 8 December 2023 a regulation made under the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act 2010 has stopped Evoenergy from providing a new fossil fuel gas network connection to premises in residential, commercial and community facility land use zones, and to any Class 1 to 4 residential building no matter which zone it sits in. If you are building a new house in Canberra, it has to be all electric. If your existing house already has a gas meter, none of this touches you.
People get this wrong in both directions. Some think their gas is about to be cut off. Others think they can still put a gas cooktop in a new Molonglo build if they ask nicely.
Can you get a new gas connection in Canberra?
Only if your block sits outside the captured zones. The restriction covers all residential, commercial and community facility land use zones, plus residential buildings classified Class 1 to 4 under the National Construction Code wherever they are, which picks up things like a caretaker's residence on an industrial site.
The definition of a new connection in section 13A of the Act is broader than "a house with no gas". It covers a brand new connection, an alteration that creates an additional point of supply, and reinstating a connection that has been permanently removed. Changing retailers is not a new connection.
| Your situation | New gas connection? | What it means on site |
|---|---|---|
| New house in a residential zone | Not available | Design all electric from the start: heat pump hot water, reverse cycle heating, induction cooking |
| Existing house with a gas meter | Not affected | Keep using gas, service and replace appliances as normal |
| Existing meter, account closed | Not affected | The connection still exists. Contact a gas retailer to restart supply |
| Extension where the meter is relocated | Usually not a new connection | Confirm with Evoenergy before work starts |
| Knockdown rebuild where gas is abolished | Counts as new, so not available | The rebuild goes all electric |
| Second meter for a granny flat or tenancy | Counts as new, so not available | An additional point of supply is caught by the rule |
| Block in an industrial or non-urban zone | Still available | Unless the building is a Class 1 to 4 residence |
When did the ACT gas ban start, and what law is it under?
It commenced on 8 December 2023 under the Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Regulation 2023 (No 1), made under section 13A of the Act. A short transition window ran until 1 March 2024. A development application lodged, or a building approval issued, before 2 March 2024 can still support a connection if the approval has not expired and there is no certificate of occupancy yet, and the applicant has to show Evoenergy the evidence.
Here is why your builder cannot argue their way around it: the restriction is written as an obligation on the gas distributor, and compliance is a condition of Evoenergy's utility licence. There is no penalty aimed at you as a homeowner. Evoenergy simply cannot do the connection. Anyone still entitled to one has to lodge the application with Evoenergy by 7 December 2028, and Evoenergy must complete requested connections by 30 March 2029.
Does the ban affect the gas connection you already have?
No. The ACT Government is explicit that the regulation prevents new connections rather than abolishing existing ones, and that homes with a meter already installed can keep using their connection. Nobody is coming to disconnect your ducted heater. If your meter is still on the wall but the account is closed, the connection still exists and a retailer can start supply again.
The longer term picture is different. The ACT has committed to phasing out fossil fuel gas by 2045, and the government says itself that as more households move to electric, the fixed cost of running the network gets shared between fewer customers. If you are choosing between repairing a 14 year old gas appliance and replacing it, the direction of gas prices belongs in the maths.
Can you still replace a gas hot water system or heater in an existing home?
Yes. The regulation restricts network connections, not appliances. On an existing connection a licensed gas fitter can service the appliance, repair it, or take out an old unit and put a new one in, then issue the gas compliance certificate for that work. No ACT law currently requires you to pull out a working gas appliance.
The Integrated Energy Plan 2024-2030 does list prohibiting the installation of new gas appliances towards the end of this decade as one option the government will explore. That is an option in a plan, not a rule today. I would not let it push you into replacing a unit that has years left in it. I would let it weigh on a decision you are already making, because the gas appliance you install now may be the last one that block ever has.
What happens to gas if you knock down and rebuild, or do a big extension?
This is where people get caught, so sort it before the excavator arrives. If the gas service has to be decommissioned to make the site safe during construction, reinstating it afterwards counts as a new connection, so you cannot get it back. The house goes all electric whether that was the plan or not.
On some projects the meter can be moved rather than abolished and work can continue safely, which keeps the connection alive. Whether yours is one of them depends on where the meter sits and what you are building over. Settle it with your builder and Evoenergy before demolition and get the answer in writing, because it is a much cheaper conversation than a redesign. We do plumbing and gas rough-in for new builds across Molonglo Valley and Gungahlin, where most of this comes up, and our breakdown of new build plumbing costs in Canberra covers the stages.
Which properties are not covered by the regulation?
Industrial, parks and recreation, transport and services, and non-urban zones sit outside the restriction, unless what you are building is a Class 1 to 4 residential building in one of them. The carve-out exists because some industrial processes cannot be electrified with current technology, which is why gas reliant businesses get pointed towards industrial land.
Those zones are not permanently safe. The ACT Government has said the remaining land use zones will be considered for inclusion in future reviews, currently scheduled for 2026 and 2030. Planning commercial gas work on an industrial block? Check the position at the time rather than relying on this page.
Can you apply for an exemption?
Not as a homeowner. Only a business or person seeking a connection in a commercial or community facility zone can apply, and the Minister grants exemptions in limited circumstances where electrification is not feasible and there is a clear community benefit. The government calls it a last resort and expects applicants to first look for premises that already have a meter. Buying gas equipment for a site with no connection is specifically called out as not being grounds for an exemption.
What goes in instead on an all-electric Canberra build?
Three appliances change, and each has plumbing or electrical consequences worth knowing before the slab goes down.
- Hot water becomes a heat pump or an electric boosted solar system. A heat pump needs outdoor space, a condensate drain and a sensible spot for noise, because it runs a compressor. Our guide to heat pump hot water in Canberra covers how they cope with frost and what rebates apply.
- Heating becomes reverse cycle. For the ACT climate the government's own program guidance encourages a minimum operating temperature of at least minus 20 degrees, a variable speed compressor, and an H2 rating on split systems.
- Cooking becomes induction or ceramic. Induction wants a dedicated circuit and some units need 40 amps, so it is a switchboard conversation as much as a kitchen one.
Our comparison of gas, electric, solar and heat pump hot water puts the running costs side by side.
Who regulates gas work in the ACT?
Access Canberra. Gasfitting here sits under the Gas Safety Act 2000 and the Gas Safety Regulation 2001. Gas fitters notify start of work to Access Canberra, lodge a signed Gas Certificate of Compliance, and Access Canberra inspects the work and takes reports of unsafe appliances. Technical codes for the network and for consumer installations, including the Gas Service and Installation Code, are made under the Utilities (Technical Regulation) Act 2014 by the ACT Technical Regulator. Installations are built to AS/NZS 5601.1.
So anyone doing gas work on your place needs an ACT gas fitting licence, and the paperwork goes to Access Canberra, not to a Victorian body. If you smell gas, that is not a regulator call at all: get everyone outside and ring the Evoenergy gas emergency line on 13 19 09, then read our guide to the signs of a gas leak.
What should you do next?
If you are building, confirm the land use zone for your block and design all electric from day one. Retrofitting electric hot water and heating into a house that was drawn for gas costs far more than drawing it that way once. If you are renovating a home that has gas, ask early whether the meter has to come out, because that one answer decides whether you keep gas at all.
Where these rules come from
- ACT Government: Preventing new gas network connections, including the zones covered, the transitional arrangements and the exemption process.
- Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Act 2010 (ACT), section 13A, which defines a new gas connection.
- Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Regulation 2023 (No 1), the regulation that applies the restriction.
- Gas Safety Act 2000 (ACT) and the Gas Safety Regulation 2001, which govern gasfitting work and certificates of compliance.
Gas work, or planning the switch to electric?
Licensed plumber and gas fitter across Canberra and Queanbeyan. Straight answers on what your block allows.