Victoria isn’t banning your gas. It is banning two kinds of new gas.
Two rules start in 2027. From 1 January, new homes must be built all-electric. From 1 March, a gas hot water system that dies must be replaced with an electric one. Your gas heater, your cooktop and a working hot water unit can all stay. Here is exactly what changes, what it costs, and what the 28 November election could change.
Written by Juan Flinn, Content Editor · Reviewed by the Mission Green Energy Team · Updated October 2026
What starts,
and when.
Both apply from a date. Neither forces you to remove anything that works.
New buildings all-electric
New homes and most new commercial buildings, including commercial kitchens and knock-down rebuilds, for building permits issued from that date. Industrial and agricultural buildings are exempt.
No like-for-like gas hot water
When a gas hot water system in an existing home breaks and cannot be repaired, its replacement must be electric, usually a heat pump.
Heating and cooktops
Existing gas heating and cooktops can stay, and a broken gas cooktop can be replaced with another gas cooktop.
The rules apply to replacements and new builds, not to working appliances. Nobody is required to disconnect gas, and a gas hot water system that keeps working can stay in service after 1 March 2027.
Three households
that should plan now.
For everyone else, nothing changes until an appliance fails.
An old gas hot water unit. If yours is ten years old or more, the 1 March rule makes its eventual replacement a heat pump. Replacing it on your terms, with a rebate and a planned install, is cheaper and calmer than an emergency swap on a cold morning when the cheapest gas unit is no longer an option.
Building or knocking down and rebuilding. A building permit issued from 1 January 2027 means an all-electric design: heat pump hot water, induction cooking and reverse-cycle heating. If your permit will land in early 2027, design for it now rather than redesign later.
Renters and landlords. A rental with a failing gas hot water unit after 1 March 2027 gets an electric replacement. The VEU discount is open to all Victorian households, so it applies whoever pays. Check the Solar Victoria rebate separately: it is aimed at owner-occupiers, and only the Solstice gas towns have opened it to rental providers.
What the switch costs
after rebates.
Hot water is the one that matters, and it is the one with the most help.
A heat pump replacing gas hot water can carry three discounts: federal STCs, the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount, and Solar Victoria’s rebate of 50% of what is left, capped at $1,000, or $1,400 for an eligible locally made product. Owners need a household income under $150,000 and a property under $3 million for the Solar Victoria part. Our heat pump rebate guide walks through the order on a real quote.
If you go fully electric and close your gas account, ask your gas network about the difference between a disconnection and an abolishment. Since 1 October 2026, networks must publish both services and their charges, and an upfront abolishment charge phases in from 2027.
In ten towns where Solstice Energy is closing its gas networks (Marong, Heathcote, Swan Hill, Maldon, Robinvale, Kerang, Nathalia, Terang, Lakes Entrance and Orbost), Solar Victoria has waived the income cap and offers a $600 top-up in some cases.
What the 28 November
election could change.
Promises, not law. We will update this page when either side publishes more.
Victoria votes on Saturday 28 November 2026. The Liberal–Nationals Coalition, led by Jess Wilson, has pledged to reverse the ban on gas connections in new homes within 100 days of winning office. The Labor Government has said a household or small business can replace a broken gas cooktop with another gas cooktop, which matches the existing rules.
As at 29 October 2026 we found no published position from either major party on the 1 March 2027 hot water rule. Until a new law is passed, both 2027 rules stand as made. Plan around the rules, not the promises.
Victoria’s 2027 gas rules:
your questions, answered.
Not for existing homes. From 1 January 2027 new homes must be built all-electric, and from 1 March 2027 a gas hot water system that breaks and cannot be repaired must be replaced with an electric one. Existing gas heating, cooktops and working hot water systems can stay.
Only when it fails. A working gas hot water system can stay in service. From 1 March 2027, if it breaks and cannot be repaired, the replacement must be electric, usually a heat pump.
Yes. The 2027 rules do not cover gas cooktops or heating in existing homes. A broken gas cooktop can be replaced with another gas cooktop.
It applies to new homes and most new commercial buildings, including knock-down rebuilds, where the building permit is issued on or after 1 January 2027. Industrial and agricultural buildings are exempt. Check with your building surveyor for an extension.
Federal STCs and the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount come off first, then Solar Victoria pays 50% of what is left, capped at $1,000, or $1,400 for an eligible locally made product, for owners with household income under $150,000.
The Coalition has pledged to reverse the gas connection ban for new homes if it wins the 28 November 2026 election. As at 29 October 2026 neither major party had published a position on the 1 March 2027 hot water rule. The rules stand until a new law changes them.
Where these
figures come from.
Rule details are from the Victorian Government’s building standards page as verified on 21 October 2026; election commitments are as reported by the ABC on 18 October 2026 and the Premier’s release of 23 October 2026. General information only.