Discover how gas could change
We're working towards a renewable gas future
We’re 100% behind a net-zero future for Aotearoa New Zealand. To get there, Aotearoa will need a mix of energy options that includes low and zero carbon gases.
Historically, natural gas played an important role helping us lower emissions by transitioning Aotearoa away from coal energy. As we look to the future, our parent business Powerco has more work to do to deliver renewable gas to Kiwi homes with the same reliability and convenience as the natural gas you use today.
Connected to natural gas?
If you currently enjoy the benefits of natural gas, there’s nothing you need to do right now, just keep enjoying the convenience and reliability of natural gas at home.
Almost 300,000 Kiwi homes are energised by natural gas, which already has a much lower carbon footprint than other energy options, but there is still more to do.
Powerco and The Gas Hub are working to decarbonise the gas you use at home, so you won’t have to change the way you heat, use hot water or cook your food.
What is renewable gas?
Renewable gases, such as renewable hydrogen and biogas (that, once cleaned becomes biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas), can be used the same way we use natural gas today, without adding additional emissions into the environment. By blending and ultimately replacing natural gas with a renewable gas such as biomethane in Aotearoa we can use our existing gas pipes to supply your home with renewable gas. It also means you still have a choice of energy sources for your home and the best of both worlds in extreme weather events.
Benefits of biogas
Because biogas is almost chemically identical to natural gas, the benefits remain the same without producing additional emissions. This means biomethane can be used interchangeably with natural gas, so you can keep enjoying gas cooking, heating, and hot water for years to come.
The road to renewable gas
While having 100% of Powerco’s gas network on renewable gas is still some time away, we’re working towards having blended gas trials on some of our network as early as 2030.
The roadmap below shows the work being done throughout Aotearoa New Zealand to integrate renewable gas. We're looking forward to playing our part and bringing you along on the journey.
FAQs
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What is renewable gas?Renewable gas are gases that don’t produce any additional carbon emissions when they are produced or used and can be used in the same way we use natural gas today. Common renewable gases include biogas (that, once refined, becomes biomethane, also known as renewable natural gas) and renewable hydrogen.
When biogas is cleaned (carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and water removed) it’s known as biomethane (or renewable natural gas) and is almost chemically identical to our current natural gas. This means biomethane can be used interchangeably with natural gas and used the same way, so you can keep enjoying gas cooking, heating and hot water for years to come without adding additional emissions into the atmosphere.
Renewable hydrogen is created using renewable electricity and doesn’t contain any carbon and when it burns it doesn’t produce any carbon, the only emission it creates is water particles.
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What do I need to do now?You don’t need to do anything right now. Powerco is working with industry partners across our network to work towards delivering renewable gas in the future.
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Will I need to buy new gas appliances?No, not necessarily. New appliances you buy today will generally last 15 years.
If you currently own an appliance that uses natural gas, you can have confidence that you’ll be able to use it for its expected lifetime (typically up to 15 years). Most modern gas appliances are already compatible with future gases and are able to run on a blend of natural gas and renewable hydrogen gas (up to 20%) or biogas. Blending gases will be an important part of our journey as we scale up to zero carbon gas energy and new compatible appliances will become widely available.
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What if I am building? Can I still connect to natural gas?Absolutely. The comfort, control, reliability and convenience of fast, powerful hot water, home heating and cooking make gas the natural choice for around 430,000 Kiwi homes and businesses. Connecting to Powerco’s natural gas network gives you the benefits of using natural gas today and the ability to benefit from renewable gas in the future.
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Will renewable gas be more expensive?We know that energy prices are important for our customers.
At the beginning of renewable gas in New Zealand we expect that producing renewable gas will be more expensive than natural gas, like at the start of any new industry.
Like other energy industries in order to drive down costs we need to develop projects and increase scale. Powerco will aim to do this to support Aotearoa New Zealand’s carbon zero goals to be able to provide a competitive product for our customers.
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How much does using natural gas in homes contribute to New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions?Kiwi homes (directly using gas energy) produce less than 1% of New Zealand’s total greenhouse gas emissions and use around 3.6% of all the natural gas produced in the country.
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When will renewable gas happen?Future gases, like renewable hydrogen gas, and biogas and bioLPG, are already being developed and trialled here in New Zealand and around the world. We’re aiming to have blended renewable gas in parts of the Powerco network by 2030.