Gas consumption
in Australia

Key takeaways

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.

How much gas do we use in Australia?

 
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.

Average gas consumption per household size

 
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:

• Victoria had the highest gas consumption across all seasons and household sizes, with Queensland having the least.
• The average single-person Victorian household is using 11 times more gas (13,061 MJ ) during winter than a single-person Queensland home. When comparing large households of five or more people, Victoria uses 7 times more gas, or an additional 17,324 MJ, during winter than Queensland.
• A two-person household in the Australian Capital Territory/Tasmania used almost twice the amount of gas in winter than they did in spring and autumn.
• In New South Wales, a three-person household uses 55.34% of the state’s annual gas consumption in winter and only 20.61% in summer.
• All states and territories use more gas during spring than during autumn, with summer having the lowest gas consumption for households due to less need for gas heating.

Queensland average gas consumption (MJ) by household size and season

Victoria average gas consumption (MJ) by household size and season

Energy consumption by fuel type

 
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:

• The national average for gas consumption is 27.4% of the total yearly energy consumption.
• The Northern Territory has the highest percentage of gas usage compared to other fuel types at 74.4%, followed by Western Australia at 54.5%. Both are hubs for LNG plants, where the gas is liquified into LNG for exports.⁵
• Tasmania has the lowest percentage of gas consumption at 6.8% and the highest consumption of renewables (47.5%).