One-quarter of Canberra households are seriously considering switching off their gas connection, more than double the number of households across Australia, a new survey has found.
The Energy Consumers Australia energy consumer behaviour sentiment survey showed ACT respondents were more likely to be considering upgrades to more energy efficient household appliances and abandoning gas than the rest of the country.
Just under 30 per cent of Canberra households have considered converting from gas but are not yet ready to make the switch, the survey found.
The survey also found 39 per cent of Canberrans were considering buying an electric vehicle in the future, compared to 19 per cent of respondents nationally who were considering doing the same.
Energy Consumers Australia chief executive Brendan French said the results showed the value in government's providing certainty over the finite future of the gas network.
"Consumers and industry deserve certainty - and when they get that certainty from governments like the ACT, they start to move towards action," he said in a statement.
"With Victoria recently announcing a ban on gas in new homes, we hope to see a similar trend in that state in future years."
Energy Consumers Australia is an independent body funded through industry levies and established by agreement of the Council of Australian Governments in 2015.
A decline in the number of gas customers in the ACT may threaten the economic viability of the network up to a decade before the territory is set to shut it off in 2045.
"Under current policy settings, the gas network is expected to remain an important energy source for the next 10-15 years and will remain economically viable until the mid-2030s," a government position paper, released in August, said.
"After this time the decline in customers and gas demand may put pressure on the economic viability of the network remaining in its current form."
The paper said gas prices would start to increase more rapidly between 2035 and 2040 as more consumers switch their appliances to electric.
Gas connections for new houses in the ACT were banned in June, while the government announced in August 2022 gas would be turned off in 2045.
The increased demand for electricity, as gas use drops, will require more capacity in the electricity grid.
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