An Auckland plumber says gas fitters have been reassured gas is going nowhere for residential use, amid some public fear and uncertainty about New Zealand’s supply.
With natural gas reserves dropping, prices rising, and the future of supply uncertain, some homeowners may be considering changing to electric.
Plumbing owner and Auckland Master Plumbers president Ben Mayne, told Morning Report a lot of households still used gas, and there were plans for more gas in the country.
“There’s a lot of innovate stuff out there on the market, and a lot of stuff coming into New Zealand at this rate with the goal of eventually going to hydrogen,” he said.
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“We are doing biogas at the moment which is also another awesome sort of invention that New Zealand is bringing to the market.
“The big thing would be obviously creating power. Most of New Zealand’s gas is consumed by commercial not by residential, so that’s probably your biggest threat to the residential market for gas.”
Mayne said it could cost thousands of dollars for a household using gas to switch to electric, depending on how their house was set up.
“A lot of people these days like induction hobs but they draw a lot more power so you end up having to get a bigger power cable to that area.
“If you’re changing to a heat pump cylinder, normally most of it is pretty straightforward, if you’ve got a califont on the outside wall, you’ve already got the water supply there, and there’s already a power supply there,” he said.
Whether the switch was worth it depended on individual needs, he said.
“I always try get customers to think what’s going to happen in their house. As we keep getting told gas is going nowhere.
“Certain companies have already designed califonts that run on 100% hydrogen, and they are starting to put a blend hopefully soon into gas industry with hydrogen going into the network.
“It’s up in the air at this stage. I like the idea of a heat pump cylinder myself and using solar panels, it’s a lot more environmentally friendly, but at the end of the day it still comes down to cost and what your plans are with your house.”
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