Gas is a popular energy source, with over 5.1 million Australian homes connected to the gas network in 2021.1 But as the push towards switching to renewable energy continues, it’s important to understand how and where we consume gas. We’ve compiled gas consumption statistics on Australian gas consumption, including key facts such as:
Gas makes up almost a third (27.1%) of Australia’s total energy consumption.
Western Australia has the highest gas consumption overall, but Victoria is the biggest gas consumer for residential use.
Tasmania has the lowest gas consumption across all the states and territories.
Gas consumption refers to the total amount of gas consumed in Australia. Besides residential use, Australian gas totals also include commercial and industrial consumption.
Gas has often been used to heat the home through space heaters and slab heating. As modern electric appliances continue to improve, in some cases electric appliances have become more efficient than their gas counterparts. How gas is consumed in a home will depend on:
The unit of measurement for gas in Australia is joules, except for Western Australia which is measured in units. These gas statistics use megajoules (MJ) – the measurement you’ll see on your gas bills (outside of Western Australia) – and petajoules (PJ), which is used for state or national gas usage. One MJ is equivalent to one million joules, and one PJ is one million billion joules.
In Australia, the total gas consumption for 2020-2021 was 1,568.2 petajoules (PJ). 2 This makes up almost a third (27.1%) of the total energy consumption in Australia, a 3.7% fall from the previous year. This figure is not limited to household use, and refers to all gas consumption, including commercial, industrial and exports.
These totals only include natural gas, as liquified petroleum gas (LPG, often known as bottled gas) is typically counted under oil.
The following table describes the total gas consumption (in PJ) for each state and territory in Australia over a five-year period. According to the data below, we can conclude the following:
| Gas consumption (PJ) in Australian by state and territory from 2016-2017 to 2020-2021 | |||||
| State or Territory | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 |
| NSW (and ACT) | 143.6 | 144.1 | 139.2 | 141.9 | 136.3 |
| VIC | 262.0 | 267.7 | 260.0 | 261.0 | 241.0 |
| QLD | 309.6 | 302.3 | 294.0 | 313.0 | 313.4 |
| WA | 595.0 | 643.4 | 668.3 | 693.1 | 671.6 |
| SA | 109.6 | 120.4 | 108.3 | 103.7 | 92.5 |
| TAS | 13.2 | 13.9 | 10.6 | 7.4 | 7.3 |
| NT | 48.1 | 46.9 | 86.1 | 108.7 | 106.1 |
| National | 1,481.1 | 1538.6 | 1566.6 | 1628.8 | 1,568.2 |
| Source: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Australian Energy Statistics, Table C. Published 2022. Accessed July 2023. | |||||
Australian households can use either LPG or natural gas to power certain appliances in a home. Common gas appliances include the following:
The average gas use per household will vary depending on the state or territory. Seasonal needs also affect how much the average home uses. We’ve compiled the average gas usage for each state per season, and from that data we can conclude the following:
| Average household gas usage (MJ) per state or territory | |||||
| Household size | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring | Annual |
| ACT/TAS | 2,316 | 8,029 | 16,729 | 7,853 | 34,927 |
| NSW | 2,533 | 4,237 | 7,339 | 4,275 | 18,384 |
| QLD | 1,262 | 1,694 | 2,519 | 1,763 | 7,238 |
| SA | 2,036 | 3,681 | 6,534 | 3,948 | 16,199 |
| VIC | 3,999 | 10,091 | 23,435 | 12,274 | 49,799 |
| Source: Frontier Economics. Analysis of gas network data, table 11. Published December 2020. Accessed June 2023. Note: ACT and TAS have been combined due to low sample sizes. | |||||
When looking at gas consumption by residential households, it’s important to consider the state or territory, season, climate zone and household size as results will vary. Looking at the average gas consumption data of households, we’ve compiled some key takeaways on household gas usage:
| Household size | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
| 1 | 1,340 | 2,168 | 4,033 | 2,294 |
| 2 | 2,219 | 3,901 | 6,990 | 3,835 |
| 3 | 2,841 | 4,636 | 7,858 | 4,643 |
| 4 | 3,538 | 5,593 | 9,172 | 5,857 |
| 5+ | 4,117 | 6,727 | 11,055 | 6,900 |
| Source: Frontier Economics. Residential energy consumption benchmarks. Published December 2020. Accessed June 2023. | ||||
| Household size | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
| 1 | 599 | 939 | 1,314 | 826 |
| 2 | 1,099 | 1,450 | 2,158 | 1,554 |
| 3 | 1,355 | 1,757 | 2,745 | 1,792 |
| 4 | 1,793 | 2,505 | 3,360 | 2,637 |
| 5+ | 2,274 | 2,894 | 4,736 | 3,110 |
| Source: Frontier Economics. Residential energy consumption benchmarks. Published December 2020. Accessed June 2023. | ||||
| Household size | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
| 1 | 1,124 | 2,085 | 3,979 | 2,257 |
| 2 | 1,807 | 3,313 | 6,023 | 3,528 |
| 3 | 2,655 | 5,173 | 8,874 | 5,619 |
| 4 | 3,084 | 5,173 | 8,874 | 5,619 |
| 5+ | 3,349 | 5,537 | 8,874 | 5,619 |
| Source: Frontier Economics. Residential energy consumption benchmarks. Published December 2020. Accessed June 2023. | ||||
| Household size | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
| 1 | 2,484 | 6,178 | 14,375 | 7,377 |
| 2 | 3,911 | 10,230 | 23,855 | 12,466 |
| 3 | 4,192 | 10,230 | 23,855 | 12,466 |
| 4 | 4,694 | 11,567 | 24,426 | 14,111 |
| 5+ | 6,028 | 14,339 | 33,375 | 17,444 |
| Source: Frontier Economics. Residential energy consumption benchmarks. Published December 2020. Accessed June 2023. | ||||
| Household size | Summer | Autumn | Winter | Spring |
| 1 | 1,498 | 3,276 | 6,188 | 3,725 |
| 2 | 2,189 | 8,542 | 17,918 | 8,221 |
| 3 | 2,254 | 8,542 | 17,918 | 8,221 |
| 4 | 3,442 | 10,100 | 20,305 | 9,711 |
| 5+ | 3,442 | 10,100 | 22,060 | 10,206 |
| Source: Frontier Economics. Residential energy consumption benchmarks. Published December 2020. Accessed June 2023. Note: ACT and TAS have been combined to create shared benchmarks due to low sample sizes. | ||||
Gas consumption is only one part of the total energy consumption for Australia. The following table lists the percentage of gas per state in reference to each state’s total energy consumption. Key takeaways include:
| Percentage of energy usage by fuel type in 2020-2021 | ||||
| State or Territory | Coal | Oil | Gas | Renewables | NSW | 41.9 | 42.3 | 9.2 | 6.6 |
| VIC | 34.2 | 36.7 | 22.9 | 6.3 |
| QLD | 35.0 | 35.8 | 20.8 | 8.5 |
| WA | 9.4 | 33.8 | 54.5 | 2.3 |
| SA | 8.0 | 43.7 | 35.1 | 13.2 |
| TAS | 8.3 | 37.4 | 6.8 | 47.5 |
| NT | 0.0 | 24.7 | 74.4 | 0.9 |
| National | 28.4 | 37.3 | 27.4 | 7.0 |
| Source: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Australian Energy Statistics, Table C. Published 2022. Accessed July 2023. | ||||
1 Energy Networks Australia. Reliable and clean gas for Australia homes. Published July 2021. Accessed June 2023.
2 Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Australian Energy Update 2022. Published Sep 2022. Accessed June 2023.
3 Britannica. Climate of Victoria. Accessed June 2023.
4 Frontier Economics. Analysis of gas network data, table 11. Published December 2020. Accessed June 2023.
5 Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Australian Energy Statistics, Table C. Published 2022. Accessed July 2023.
6 Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. States and territories. Accessed June 2023.
The Frontier Economics gas consumption data was taken only from surveyed households with a gas mains connection. The final sample size for the gas consumption data was 3,148 households.
Written by Tiana Lee-Collins
