{"id":52940,"date":"2021-08-23T13:10:55","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T02:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=52940"},"modified":"2025-12-08T11:35:59","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T02:05:59","slug":"air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/","title":{"rendered":"Air Conditioners Will Heat Your Home Cheaper Than Gas. Here&#8217;s Why."},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p data-wp-editing=\"1\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-53268 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas.jpg\" alt=\"Reverse cycle air conditioner vs gas heating\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>The best way to heat your home is with a reverse cycle air conditioner.\u00a0 This is true whether your goal is to save money or save the planet.\u00a0 In this article, I&#8217;ll explain no matter how crap your air conditioner is, you&#8217;re likely to be financially better off using it for heat instead of gas.<!--more--><\/p>\r\n<p>Depending on where you are and the efficiency of your air conditioner, it&#8217;s possible to cut your heating bills by more than half.\u00a0 The greatest savings are in Western Australia.\u00a0 Thanks to having Australia&#8217;s highest gas prices and lowest solar feed-in tariff, in Perth a solar-powered air conditioner can provide heat at under 7% the cost of gas.<\/p>\r\n<p>I&#8217;m only going to offer economic and environmental reasons for using air-con heating.\u00a0 If you just happen to love the smell of gas in the morning, I can&#8217;t help you<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/#en-52940-1' id='enref-52940-1' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(52940)'>1<\/a><\/sup>. Feel free to critique my savings analysis in the comments, but if you&#8217;re simply in love with methane, please try very hard to keep it a secret love.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>In this article, I&#8217;ll cover:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>The efficiency of gas heating.<\/li>\r\n<li>How modern air conditioners can easily be 5 times more efficient than gas.<\/li>\r\n<li>The cost of heating with gas compared to reverse cycle air conditioners.<\/li>\r\n<li>Why you&#8217;d have to be nuts not to use an air conditioner for heat in Perth.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve read that, you&#8217;ll see &#8212; while Jumping Jack Flash may be a gas, gas, gas &#8212; what you&#8217;ll really want to keep your home warm, warm, warm, is an efficient reverse cycle air conditioner.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><div class=\"youtube-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"The Rolling Stones - Jumpin&#039; Jack Flash (Official Video) [4K]\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ruTMp4_sy1E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/p>\r\n<h2>Gas Efficiency Under 90%<\/h2>\r\n<p>Heating with gas is very straightforward.\u00a0 Flammable natural gas is piped into your home where it&#8217;s set on fire &#8212; preferably inside some sort of heater &#8212; and releases heat.\u00a0 Unless a gas heater is dangerously defective, the heater will convert all the chemical energy in the gas into heat energy.\u00a0 Even all the light it gives off will end up as heat in your home if you shut the curtains.\u00a0 This may make gas heating seem like it should be 100% efficient, but in practice it&#8217;s not.\u00a0 Natural gas heaters often only have an efficiency of around 70%.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>There are some minor reasons why it&#8217;s not 100%.\u00a0 Gas in winter can be cold when it enters your home, and its pipe can conduct heat out.\u00a0 But the main reason is ventilation.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>There are two basic types of gas heaters:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Flued, and&#8230;<\/li>\r\n<li>Unflued.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>A flued gas heater has not come down with a virus.\u00a0 It means it has a chimney or other dedicated ventilation that allows carbon dioxide and water vapour from combustion to escape outside.\u00a0 Unflued heaters are potentially more efficient, but if you try to make them very efficient by sealing the room, they will kill you.\u00a0 Because of this danger, unflued heaters are restricted in how much gas they can burn and rooms they are in are required to have ventilation.\u00a0 Exact requirements can vary from state to state.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>A flue allows heat to escape, and room ventilation does the same.\u00a0 This results in the efficiency of gas heaters being as low as 60%.\u00a0 The average efficiency of existing heaters may be 70-80%.\u00a0 The highest efficiency for a correctly installed gas heater that meets state and Australian standards may be 90%.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Gas Is A Health Hazard<\/h2>\r\n<p>Natural gas is mostly <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Methane\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">methane<\/a>.\u00a0 When burned this releases carbon dioxide (CO2) and water vapour.<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/#en-52940-2' id='enref-52940-2' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(52940)'>2<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 The CO2 from an unflued gas heater is not good for your health. If the heater is defective, it can produce\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carbon_monoxide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">carbon monoxide<\/a> that your body can&#8217;t detect and which can harm or kill you.\u00a0 For this reason, it&#8217;s recommended to have gas heaters regularly serviced and not to place them in bedrooms.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you don&#8217;t believe me, watch this disturbing Irish <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gQeZPNqjmFY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cartoon<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n<p><div class=\"youtube-wrapper\"><iframe title=\"Carbon monoxide canary TV ad (Bord G\u00e1is Networks) \u2013 Tommy McAnairey\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zSGXRRldj5U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><\/p>\r\n<p>Water vapour from burning gas can also be a problem.\u00a0 While a little humidity can be nice in winter, too much can lead to dampness, mould, and mini-waterfalls of condensation running down your windows.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Reverse Cycle Air Conditioner Heating Efficiency<\/h2>\r\n<p>Only air conditioners that are &#8216;reverse cycle&#8217; can provide heat.\u00a0 Instead of only pumping heat out of your home and cooling it, they can reverse the cycle and pump heat from the outside air into your home.\u00a0 Most air conditioners on sale are reverse cycle but don&#8217;t accidentally buy one that only cools.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Air conditioners are far more efficient at heating than gas because, instead of using energy to create heat directly, they use energy to move heat around. As a result, even the worst air conditioner you can buy is several times more energy-efficient than using gas.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Because air conditioners pump heat around, they&#8217;re called heat pumps.\u00a0 If you want to know how to choose an energy-efficient one, I recently wrote an article on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioner-energy-labels\/\">how the new air conditioner labelling system works<\/a>.\u00a0 I recommend getting the most efficient reverse cycle air conditioner you can find that doesn&#8217;t have a ridiculous price tag designed to suck in rich hippies.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-53265 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ronald-ac-quote.jpg\" alt=\"Recommendation - reverse cycle air conditioner vs. gas for heating\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ronald-ac-quote.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ronald-ac-quote-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ronald-ac-quote-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ronald-ac-quote-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ronald-ac-quote-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ronald-ac-quote-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1080px) 100vw, 1080px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>But even the worst air conditioner you can buy will provide around 3.5 kilowatt-hours of heat for every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, giving them an effective energy efficiency of around 350% and four or more times as efficient as a typical gas heater.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Kilowatt-Hours And Megajoules<\/h2>\r\n<p>Electricity is sold by the kilowatt-hour.\u00a0 In normal conversation, &#8220;kilowatt-hour&#8221; refers to electrical energy, but it can be any kind of energy including heat.\u00a0 If you use one kilowatt-hour of electricity in a basic electrical resistance heater like one of these&#8230;<\/p>\r\n<div id=\"attachment_53174\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-53174\" class=\"wp-image-53174 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_resistance_is_useless.jpg\" alt=\"electrical resistance heaters\" width=\"1000\" height=\"343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_resistance_is_useless.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_resistance_is_useless-300x103.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_resistance_is_useless-768x263.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-53174\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Don&#8217;t turn these on when they&#8217;re sitting on a red cushion unless you&#8217;re eager to see orange flames.<\/p><\/div>\r\n<p>&#8230;it will convert that electrical energy into one kilowatt-hour of heat energy.\u00a0 But an air conditioner with 3.5 Energy Stars for heating will pump a minimum of 5 kilowatt-hours of heat energy into your home for every kilowatt-hour of electricity it consumes.\u00a0 This makes it at least 500% efficient. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Gas is paid for by the megajoule (MJ).\u00a0 This is just a different measure of energy.\u00a0 For easy comparison, I will convert megajoules into kilowatt-hours.\u00a0 It&#8217;s not difficult to do as there are simply 3.6 megajoules in a kilowatt-hour.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Gas Supply Charge Not Included<\/h2>\r\n<p>I am not considering the daily supply charge when determining the cost of gas.\u00a0 This charge, along with the cost of regularly servicing gas appliances to maintain safety, is an excellent reason to stop using gas entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Cost Of Gas By Capital<\/h2>\r\n<p>I&#8217;ve looked online to find the lowest cost gas plans in each capital.\u00a0 Except for Darwin.\u00a0 If you heat your home there all I can say is&#8230;<\/p>\r\n<blockquote>\r\n<p>&#8220;Welcome to the planet Earth and enjoy your stay.\u00a0 Please don&#8217;t try to convince the locals the place would be better with more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.&#8221;<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n<p>With most gas retail plans, the cost per megajoule falls once consumption exceeds a threshold.\u00a0 To work out the average cost of gas for a household, I&#8217;ll need to decide how much it consumes.\u00a0 Most Australian households use around 30 megajoules or less per day in winter, but in Victoria, it is nearly 100.\u00a0 To keep things easy, I will base the cost of gas on households using 100 megajoules a day.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>In Tasmania, they average over 200 megajoules a day in winter, but they pay a flat price for gas, so what they&#8217;re charged doesn&#8217;t change with the amount used.<\/p>\r\n<p>The average cost of the cheapest gas I could find in all state capitals and Canberra<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/#en-52940-3' id='enref-52940-3' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(52940)'>3<\/a><\/sup>, in megajoules and kilowatt-hours, is:<\/p>\r\n<p><em><strong>Update August 30th 2021: <\/strong>I made a stupid mistake with the gas price for Perth.\u00a0 In the other states gas is sold by the megajoule but in WA it&#8217;s by the kilowatt-hour.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t realize this, so the price I gave for gas there was 3.6 times higher than it should have been.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve corrected all the references to Perth gas prices in the article. \u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Adelaide:\u00a0 3.2 cents per megajoule,\u00a0 11.6 cents per kilowatt-hour<\/li>\r\n<li>Brisbane:\u00a0 4.1 cents per megajoule,\u00a0 14.8 cents per kilowatt-hour<\/li>\r\n<li>Canberra:\u00a0 3.5 cents per megajoule,\u00a0 12.6 cents per kilowatt-hour<\/li>\r\n<li>Darwin:\u00a0 Don&#8217;t be silly<\/li>\r\n<li>Hobart:\u00a0 4 cents per megajoule, 14.4 cents per kilowatt-hour \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>Melbourne:\u00a0 1.5 cents per megajoule,\u00a0 5.6 cents per kilowatt-hour<\/li>\r\n<li>Perth:\u00a0 1.9 cents per megajoule,\u00a0 6.9 cents per kilowatt-hour<\/li>\r\n<li>Sydney:\u00a0 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour,\u00a0 8.1 cents per kilowatt-hour<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Here&#8217;s a graph comparing the per-kilowatt-hour cost of gas with the per-kilowatt-hour cost of grid electricity<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/#en-52940-4' id='enref-52940-4' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(52940)'>4<\/a><\/sup> in each (sensible) capital:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-53505\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_vs_grid2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"993\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_vs_grid2.jpg 993w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_vs_grid2-300x151.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_vs_grid2-768x386.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>As you can see, a kilowatt-hour of gas is always cheaper than a kilowatt-hour of grid electricity.\u00a0 In Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney gas is under one-third the cost of grid electricity.\u00a0 Even in Perth, which has the most expensive gas, an efficient gas heater will still be cheaper to run per kilowatt-hour of heat output than an electric resistance heater.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>So thank goodness everyone reading this is smart enough to use an air conditioner for heat rather than some dinky, little, electric resistance heater.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-53280\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/resistance-heater.jpg\" alt=\"Resistance heater\" width=\"800\" height=\"634\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/resistance-heater.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/resistance-heater-300x238.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/resistance-heater-768x609.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h2>Gas Heating Vs. Air Conditioner &#8212; Almost Worst Case<\/h2>\r\n<p>Twenty years ago, it was possible to buy a reverse cycle air conditioner so inefficient it would only move 2 kilowatt-hours of heat into your home for every kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed.\u00a0 But for 10 years, the minimum efficiency level has been roughly 350%. Of course, this isn&#8217;t an exact figure. It will depend on the air conditioner&#8217;s characteristics and where it&#8217;s installed, but any air conditioner under 10 years old is likely to provide at least three times as much heat energy as it uses in electrical energy.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Comparing a gas heater with an unrealistically high efficiency of 90% to an air conditioner with a low 300% efficiency gives the following:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-53506\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_gas_vs_aircon2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"995\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_gas_vs_aircon2.png 995w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_gas_vs_aircon2-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_gas_vs_aircon2-768x381.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 995px) 100vw, 995px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>Even in almost a worst-case scenario for an air conditioner under 10 years old, they always provide heat at a lower cost than gas &#8212; except in Perth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Gas Heating Vs. Air Conditioner &#8212; Realistic Case<\/h2>\r\n<p>In reality, most people&#8217;s choice won&#8217;t be between the most efficient natural gas heater possible and the least efficient reverse cycle air conditioner on the market.\u00a0 If we instead compare a gas heater with a more typical efficiency of 75% with an air conditioner that has &#8212; going by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioner-energy-labels\/\">new energy labels<\/a> &#8212; 3.5 Energy Stars out of 10 for heating, the results look far better for air conditioners.\u00a0 A 3.5 star rating means the air conditioner will have an effective efficiency of at least 500%:<\/p>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-53509\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_realistic_comparison2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"993\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_realistic_comparison2.jpg 993w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_realistic_comparison2-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/gas_realistic_comparison2-768x385.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 993px) 100vw, 993px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<p>As you can see, with this more realistic comparison, air-con heating is way cheaper than gas.\u00a0 Even in Perth air conditioner heating is under two-thirds the cost of gas.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>While you may have to pay more for a reverse cycle air conditioner with 3.5 Energy Stars than one with only a couple, the extra cost shouldn&#8217;t break the bank and there are many available with this many stars or more.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Time-Of-Use Tariffs &amp; Heating<\/h2>\r\n<p>So far, I&#8217;ve only shown the cost of grid electricity on a flat tariff.\u00a0 With a time-of-use tariff, electricity costs can be considerably higher during peak periods.\u00a0 But this is not necessarily a problem for the cost of air-con heating.\u00a0 Because it&#8217;s possible to be flexible with heating, a time-of-use tariff can reduce costs.<\/p>\r\n<p>Every air conditioner I&#8217;ve ever met has had a built-in timer<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/#en-52940-5' id='enref-52940-5' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(52940)'>5<\/a><\/sup>.\u00a0 This makes it easy to warm your home before the start of a time-of-use peak period. Then, if you want to reduce electricity use further once the peak period starts, you can turn the thermostat down or turn the air conditioner off entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Solar Power Saves On Air-Con Costs<\/h2>\r\n<p>Having rooftop solar panels will further improve savings if you use air conditioner heating during the day.\u00a0 This is because savings on electricity bills increase when you consume your own solar energy rather than grid energy &#8212; except for some households that have old, high, solar feed-in tariffs locked in.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you&#8217;re out during the day, solar may not lower your cost of heating, but you can try setting a timer so your reverse cycle air conditioner warms your home using solar energy before you get home in the evening.\u00a0 But your home is really drafty and bad at retaining heat, this may not help.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Air-Con Emissions Less Than Gas<\/h2>\r\n<p>Sometimes natural gas salespeople will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.australiangasnetworks.com.au\/gas-explained\/benefits-of-natural-gas\/environmental-benefits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">claim<\/a> it&#8217;s a low emission choice for heating, but this only applies when it&#8217;s compared to electrical resistance heating.\u00a0 Even an air conditioner entirely powered by coal can result in lower emissions than those that directly result from burning gas for heat, as the following three steps show:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Burning methane in a 75% efficient gas heater to provide one kilowatt-hour of heat will produce 237 grams of CO2 from combustion.<\/li>\r\n<li>In Australia, coal power emits around 1 kg of CO2 per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated.\u00a0<\/li>\r\n<li>An air conditioner with 3.5 Energy Stars for heating is at least 500% efficient and would produce around 200 grams of CO2 or less if entirely powered by coal.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Fortunately, our grid generation is only about 62% coal, and CO2 emissions per kilowatt-hour of electricity are likely to be around 656 grams.\u00a0 This means, when powered by the grid, even the worst air conditioner you can buy these days will result in lower emissions than burning natural gas.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>The emissions advantage of grid powered air conditioners will improve as fossil fuel is driven from the electricity market.\u00a0 Emissions from natural gas will remain much the same<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/#en-52940-6' id='enref-52940-6' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(52940)'>6<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Emissions from natural gas are even worse than they appear because additional greenhouse gas emissions occur from its extraction, refining, and distribution.\u00a0 Some of this is from leaks, which is a major problem because methane is a greenhouse gas around 32 times more powerful than CO2.\u00a0 There are disputes over how much fugitive emissions amount to, so I don&#8217;t have a definite figure.\u00a0 But it looks to me they could easily increase greenhouse gas emissions from domestic gas by over a quarter.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Hobart Best For Overall Savings<\/h2>\r\n<p>Brisbane is the capital is with greatest savings per kilowatt-hour of heat provided by a grid powered air conditioner.\u00a0 But because Tasmanians use far more heat overall, Hobart will the capital with the greatest total savings overall.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>Perth is the best location for powering an air conditioner from solar thanks to having the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/systems\/feed-in-tariffs\/wa\/\">lowest solar feed-in tariff<\/a> in the nation, so it can cost very little to heat with an air conditioner during the day.\u00a0 A WA home receiving the low <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wa-feed-in-tariff-slashed\/\">DEBS<\/a> solar feed-in tariff using a reverse cycle air conditioner powered by solar with an efficiency of 500% will pay less under 7% the cost of gas before 3:00 pm.\u00a0 After that, it will increase to around 22% the cost of gas, but that&#8217;s still pretty good.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<h2>Air Conditioner Heat Beats Gas<\/h2>\r\n<p>No matter how old your reverse cycle air conditioner is, you&#8217;re likely to be financially better off using it for heat than gas.\u00a0 The only exceptions if you&#8217;re in Perth or Melbourne and your air conditioner is both old and one of the more inefficient ones ever sold.\u00a0 But if you have solar panels and sometimes heat your home during the day, you can be confident you&#8217;ll save money no matter how crap your air conditioner may be.<\/p>\r\n<p>For more, read our detailed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/air-conditioning\/\">guide to air conditioning.<\/a><\/p>\r\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The best way to heat your home is with a reverse cycle air conditioner.\u00a0 This is true whether your goal is to save money or save the planet.\u00a0 In this article, I&#8217;ll explain no matter how crap your air conditioner is, you&#8217;re likely to be financially better off using it for heat instead of gas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":53268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[792],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-conditioning","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Air 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(a) Cooling efficiency (b) Heating efficiency (c) Purple monkey dishwasher Is Air Con Heating Or Cooling Efficiency More Important? If you replied \"(a) Cooling efficiency\" and live in the hotter northern parts of Australia, that's correct!\u00a0 But\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Air Conditioning&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Air conditioner energy rating labels - Australia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50727,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioner-energy-labels\/","url_meta":{"origin":52940,"position":1},"title":"New Energy Rating Labels For Air Conditioners Are Brilliant","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"July 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The most energy-efficient and cost-effective way to heat your home is to use your reverse-cycle air conditioner.\u00a0 Even the least efficient aircon uses far less energy than electric resistance heating.\u00a0 But buying the least efficient air conditioner is a bad idea.\u00a0 You'll be better off with a highly efficient one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Air Conditioning&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Air conditioner energy rating labels - Australia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/aircon-labels.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91205,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/fact-check-actually-we-can-heat-homes-just-fine-without-efficient-gas\/","url_meta":{"origin":52940,"position":2},"title":"Fact Check: Actually, We Can Heat Homes Just Fine Without &#8216;Efficient&#8217; Gas","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"April 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The \"Australians for Natural Gas\" group has today been reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly misleading claims. I've looked into this group and found it is spreading a number of false messages on social media, including that gas is an \"efficient\" source of power and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Getting Off Gas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Getting Off Gas","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/getting-off-gas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A dial pointing to the right above the word 'false'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90963,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/home-electrification-savings-mb3150\/","url_meta":{"origin":52940,"position":3},"title":"How Much Home Electrification Could Save Your Household","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"April 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether it happens in a series of steps or leaps, home electrification can save Australian households big bucks on energy - even with upfront costs and interest repayments included - according to a new report. Rewiring Australia is a non-profit organisation demonstrating and communicating the financial, environmental and energy system\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General Solar &amp; Storage News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"General Solar &amp; Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australian home electrification savings","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/home-electrification-savings.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/home-electrification-savings.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/home-electrification-savings.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/home-electrification-savings.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/home-electrification-savings.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91734,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/","url_meta":{"origin":52940,"position":4},"title":"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"June 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter is here, and nobody is more aware of that than Australians with a struggling reverse cycle air conditioner (RVAC). If your system isn't keeping you warm, here's what to do to get it humming. Reverse cycle systems have plenty of benefits over gas heating - they're cheaper to run,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Air Conditioning&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91917,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/how-to-get-off-ducted-gas-before-it-sucks-up-all-your-money\/","url_meta":{"origin":52940,"position":5},"title":"How To Get Off Ducted Gas Before It Sucks Up All Your Money","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"May 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Winter is coming and the glorified tents that we call houses in Australia are getting cold, which means people with ducted gas heating are basically setting fire to money to keep warm. 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