City of Sydney bans gas appliances for all new homes with claims homeowners will save an extra $626 per year
City of Sydney unanimously adopted the motion at Monday night's council meeting, banning gas appliances from all new residential builds.
The council is also proposing to ban gas from new offices, hotels, and serviced apartments by 2027.
Councillors have claimed the change will save households up to $626 on their power bills each year.
The change will new apartments and houses in the local government area will be fitted exclusively with electrical cooking and heating appliances rather than gas.
Greens councillor Matthew Thompson compared the use of gas appliances to smoking in an enclosed room with your child.
'These changes are an easy step we can take right now to save lives and save families money,' Thompson said on Monday, according to The Daily Telegraph.
American scientists who researched gas cooking in Melbourne have previously claimed the amount of nitrogen dioxide in the air rapidly climbed to five times higher than the Australian outdoor air quality standard within 30 minutes of use, according to the ABC.
City of Sydney joins six other councils which have already banned indoor gas appliances in new builds.
Hornsby Shire, Lane Cove, City of Newcastle, Waverley, City of Parramatta and City of Canada Bay councils have all banned gas appliances in new homes.
The issue of new gas connections has been hotly debated by council and the NSW state government.
In 2023, NSW Premier Chris Minns rejected a state-wide ban on new gas connections.
The state government has the power to override councils.
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