Gas to electric wiring in Sale

Replacing a gas appliance with an electric one in Sale usually needs a licensed electrician to run a new, dedicated circuit from the switchboard, and sometimes to upgrade the board first. Heat pump hot water and induction cooktops are the two most common changes, and each draws enough current to need its own circuit. A licensed gasfitter caps the old gas line, so most gas to electric jobs involve two trades.

When you enquire through this site, an independent licensed electrician in the area quotes the wiring and does it under its own registration. The about page sets out how that hand-over works.

What changes for Victorian homes from 2027?

Energy Victoria lists three sets of rules on its electrification standards page, last updated 9 October 2026:

Start date	What changes	Rule it sits under
1 January 2027	New homes and most new commercial buildings must be all electric	Building Regulations 2018
1 March 2027	A gas water heater at the end of its life in an existing home is replaced with an electric one	Plumbing Regulations 2018
From 1 March 2027, phased in	Minimum energy efficiency standards for rental homes	Residential Tenancies Regulations 2021

The same page says there is a range of exemptions where electrification or the standards are impractical or too costly, and it lists electricians among the people the changes affect.

AusNet, which runs the electricity network across this part of Gippsland, adds detail on its new rules for gas and electric homes page:

• The hot water rule applies only when the gas system cannot be repaired or safely maintained.
• It does not apply to apartment buildings with centralised hot water.
• Existing gas appliances in good order can stay, and gas cooktops and heaters can still be replaced with gas models.
• A knock down and rebuild must be all electric, but a renovation can keep the existing gas connection.
• LPG (bottled gas) can still be used for barbecues, and in regional homes for hot water and cooking.
• In a rental, a failed hot water or heating system that cannot be repaired is replaced with an efficient electric option, and gas cooktops do not have to go.

Which appliance swaps need new wiring?

Each change has its own electrical load and its own cable run:

Swap	Electrical work	What moves the price
Gas hot water to heat pump	A new dedicated circuit out to the unit	Distance from the switchboard
Gas cooktop to induction	A heavier circuit to the kitchen	Cable size and board capacity
Gas heater to reverse cycle split system	A circuit plus the unit installation	Unit size for the room
Gas ducted heating to ducted reverse cycle	Circuit and system installation	Existing ducts and roof space
Several of these at once	Often a switchboard upgrade	Supply capacity to the house

A heat pump also needs a plumber for the water connections. Air conditioning needs a refrigeration licence for the pipework as well as an electrician for the power, and many businesses hold both.

Why does the switchboard matter so much?

An older board in a Sale home was set up for lights, power points and perhaps an electric oven, with gas carrying the hot water and the heating. Moving those loads to electricity adds circuits the board may not have room for, and it raises the total demand on the supply to the house. The Quote Yard notes that adding a heat pump, induction cooktop or EV charger to a home with old fuses often means upgrading the board first.

Ask the electrician to look at the board and the supply before you buy any appliance. If the board has to be replaced, that is main switchboard work, which is prescribed work that an independent licensed electrical inspector checks before it is turned back on. The switchboard upgrades page covers that job. If you also plan a car charger, mention it now, because it is better to size the board once; charger details are on the EV charger installation page.

What does a careful electrician check before quoting?

Expect a good provider to ask, or to look for themselves:

1. Which gas appliances you plan to replace, and in what order over the next few years.
2. The make and model of the new appliance, and its installation instructions for circuit size and isolation.
3. Spare space on the switchboard and whether the board has safety switches.
4. The size of the supply to the house, and whether a long run to a shed or an outdoor unit is involved.
5. The route for the new cable: through the roof, under the floor or along an outside wall.
6. Whether the house was built or renovated before 1990, in which case the Victorian Asbestos Hub says to check for asbestos before drilling.

A careful electrician will not connect a new heat pump or cooktop to an existing power point circuit shared with other loads, and will not touch the gas side. Energy Safe Victoria licenses electricians, and the Building and Plumbing Commission licenses plumbers and gasfitters, so the gas cap needs a separate licensed gasfitter.

How does a typical heat pump changeover run?

For a gas storage water heater replaced with a heat pump, the work usually goes:

1. The electrician inspects the board and the planned position of the heat pump, and quotes the circuit.
2. The plumber or gasfitter disconnects the old unit and caps the gas line.
3. The electrician runs the dedicated circuit, fits an isolating switch near the unit where required, and connects it.
4. The plumber completes the water connections and commissions the unit.
5. The electrician tests the circuit and issues a Certificate of Electrical Safety for the wiring.

Book both trades for one day or for two days in a row, so the house is not left without hot water longer than needed.

How much does the electrical side cost in Sale?

For the wiring alone, The Quote Yard’s October 2026 figures for the region put a heat pump hot water circuit at $350 to $900, and the further the unit sits from the board, the higher it goes. Where several appliances are changed at once and the board needs replacing, the same guide lists a switchboard upgrade with safety switches at $1,800 to $3,800 on top of the circuits. The guide does not give an induction circuit band that this site uses, so ask for that price in writing. The Sale electrical cost guide puts all the local bands in one table.

Energy Victoria points to the Victorian Energy Upgrades and Solar Homes programs for help with the cost of electric appliances, and to Small-scale Technology Certificates for heat pump hot water systems. Check eligibility on those programs before you buy, because the rules and amounts change.

To get a clear comparison, ask for a gas to electric wiring quote that lists each circuit, any board work and the certificate separately.

What is the local angle around Sale and Maffra?

Wellington Shire Council has noted that many residents living outside the major towns have no mains gas. AusNet’s note that LPG remains available for hot water and cooking in regional homes means a farmhouse near Maffra on bottles is not forced to change at the same time as a town house on mains gas. Dairy and farm properties often have long runs to sheds and pumps already loading the supply, which is one more reason to have the board and supply checked before adding a heat pump or induction cooktop.

Next step

For a gas to electric quote, tell the provider your town, which gas appliances you are replacing, the make and model of each new appliance if chosen, where the new hot water unit will sit, and whether you are on mains gas or bottles. Add a photo of the switchboard with the door open and one of the current hot water unit. Then send a gas to electric enquiry and an independent local electrician will contact you about the wiring price.

Send a job enquiry