The City of Sydney has granted final endorsement to planning amendments that will require new residential buildings, medium to large commercial buildings, hotels and serviced apartment buildings to operate fully on electricity from 1 January 2027.
The council sought public feedback on the proposed amendments in June and July. According to their report, 84 submissions were received during this phase, with the majority said to be in support of the changes. As such, the council approved the changes on Monday 27 October.
In a communique, the council stated that “the new requirements build on indoor air quality provisions adopted earlier in 2025, which restrict indoor gas appliances such as cooktops and heaters in new residential developments,” and “expand to cover outdoor gas appliances such as water heaters in new residential buildings and extend the all-electric requirement to new large commercial buildings, hotels and serviced apartment buildings.”
The rules will apply to large commercial developments such as office buildings over 1,000 square metres, hotels with more than 100 suites and residential buildings with more than 100 serviced apartments. Existing and industrial-use buildings will be exempt from these requirements.
Where a mixed-use development is subject to the planning controls, any food and beverage premises within the development will still able to use gas, provided there is sufficient space and electrical capacity for future electrification.
Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore said going all-electric was a logical response to the challenges posed by fossil fuels. “Relying on gas is bad for the planet, bad for our finances and bad for our health,” said Moore. “Creating more energy efficient, healthier buildings which will meet future energy standards and avoid expensive retrofitting is an obvious next step.”
“The reality is gas is an expensive commodity that is forecast to go up in price. These measures will spare households from being locked into increasingly expensive and outdated gas contracts,” she added.
In its communique, the council said that new all-electric households could save about $626 a year in energy bills compared to gas-connected homes, and using induction cooktops instead of gas can reduce exposure to harmful pollutants.
The approved amendments follow the Victorian government’s announcement that from 1 January 2027, all new homes and the majority of new commercial buildings (excluding industrial, manufacturing and agricultural buildings) will be built all-electric.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
