Electrify Your Council Resources
This collection of resources will help you campaign to your local council to go all-electric and gas-free for new developments.
Research
In June 2024, we released a new report, Electric Savings – the case for NSW councils to reduce emissions and energy bills through electrification. The report quantifies how much money and emissions would be saved if NSW councils required new homes and businesses to be fully electric. The report is based on a technical report commissioned by 350 Australia, with data available at a council level for every council in NSW.
Download the Electric Savings report
Access individual council data
Draft Notice of Motion
A Notice of Motion is a formal council process which allows councillors to bring an issue to council to be voted on by the council. This draft Notice of Motion outlines the health, financial and environmental benefits of creating all-electric, gas-free buildings. It’s been created to assist councillors and local residents to encourage their council to go 100% electric and gas-free. Feel free to amend or edit as necessary.
Notices of Motion that receive majority support at council meetings then become policy or need to be implemented.
Legal advice
Electrify Your Council campaign asks councils to change their planning laws to require all-electric, gas-free new homes and businesses. 350 Australia has obtained legal advice from the Environmental Defenders Office asking how councils can create lawful all-electric, gas free rules which comply with relevant state planning policies. This advice explains how councils can do this.
Petition with QR code
If you’d like to gather petitions in your local area to demonstrate support for your council to require all-electric new buildings, you can download and print this petition to take to community events, stalls etc.
Download the Printable Petition Leaflet
Electric Savings webinar – 14 November 2024
350 Australia, Climate Emergency Australia and ICLEI again partnered together to deliver a webinar presenting the findings of a report commissioned by 350 Australia called Electric Savings – the case for NSW councils to reduce emissions and energy bills through electrification (see Research at the top of this page). The report modelled the cost and emissions savings that would be generated if all councils in NSW connected to the mains gas network required new homes and businesses to be fully electric.
Council forum 30 November 2023
350 Australia, Climate Emergency Australia and ICLEI again partnered together to provide updates on the Electrify Your Council campaign. We discussed the movement sweeping across NSW involving councils taking bold leadership in electrifying new developments. Representatives from Lane Cove Council outlined their new all-electric planning rules, while the Environmental Defenders Office explained how councils can create all-electric planning laws that are consistent with state planning policy. View slides here:
Council forum 8 August 2023
In partnership with Climate Emergency Australia, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Oceania (ICLEI), 350 Australia hosted a forum for the local government sector in NSW. The purpose of the event was to outline how NSW councils can change their planning laws to require all-electric new development. Here’s a recording of the forum where council experts discussed the issues in detail.
Additional resources
Here’s a summary of electrification studies showing how all-electric buildings use less energy than those connected to gas, making them cheaper to run. This will be updated as further studies are released.