Paul’s electrification
Before and after replacing the gas cooktop
4 minute read
A move to Canberra in 2019 gave Paul the opening he had been waiting for.
For years, he had been interested in science and aware of the need to act on global warming. He had also wanted an electric car since around 2010, but the timing and circumstances never quite lined up. That changed when a new job brought him from Melbourne to Canberra. Selling a property in Sydney meant he could buy a more affordable ground-floor unit in Canberra and still have enough left over to seriously consider an EV.
The detail that made all the difference was the garage. Because the unit complex had separate garages, overnight charging was practical from the start.
The home itself was already part of the way there. Heating, hot water and the stove were electric, but the cooktop still ran on gas. Soon after moving in, Paul upgraded the safety switches in the switchboard to bring them up to current standard. Once his Sydney property sale had settled, the rest of the change happened quickly: he ordered a Tesla Model 3, arranged for a wall charger to be installed in the garage, replaced the gas cooktop with induction, and disconnected gas altogether.
By March 2020, his home was fully electric.
What stands out in Paul’s story is that the shift did not happen as a long, gradual renovation. It was a compact burst of decisions after years of thinking about what he wanted and waiting for the right conditions.
The hardest part was not the charger or the cooktop — it was the car. Buying the Tesla meant spending more than he had ever spent on a vehicle before. He waited until he felt financially secure enough to do it, which made the decision possible. That hesitation will feel familiar to many households: sometimes the technology is ready before the budget feels ready.
Paul approached the process carefully. He visited Tesla stores in Sydney and Melbourne, did plenty of online research, and used CHOICE reviews when selecting the induction cooktop. Rather than rushing, he made each decision once he felt confident he understood the options.
His advice to others is straightforward: start with your own circumstances. Understand what you already have, what you need now, and what you are likely to need in the future. Electrification works best when it matches the way you actually live.
For Paul, the result is a practical all-electric setup built around apartment living: induction cooking, safer electrics, reliable home charging, and an EV that finally fit both his values and his day-to-day life.
