Energy and Carbon Dashboard

Explore how household energy choices affect annual running cost and carbon emissions in Australia.

The top two sections allow you to input data about your car and heating usage. The dashboard takes this data and shows what it would have cost if you replaced it with an electric alternative. The bottom section provides reference data to help you fill in some representative values.

See the worked example page for a step-by-step scenario showing how different decisions change outcomes.

Transport

Petrol vs Electric Vehicle

Annual running energy cost and emissions.

Inputs

Results

Petrol annual cost

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EV annual cost

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Annual cost change (EV)

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Cost change vs petrol

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Petrol annual emissions

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EV annual emissions

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Litres of petrol

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Equivalent litres of petrol

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Annual emissions change (EV)

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Emissions change vs petrol

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Heating

Gas Heater vs Reverse-Cycle Air Conditioner

Annual space heating energy cost and emissions.

Inputs

Results

RCAC annual kWh consumed

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Gas annual cost

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RCAC annual cost

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Annual cost change (RCAC)

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Cost change vs gas

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Gas annual emissions

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RCAC annual emissions

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Equivalent litres of petrol

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Equivalent litres of petrol

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Annual emissions change (RCAC)

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Emissions change vs gas

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Reference

Reference Data

Indicative values to inform the inputs above. Check original sources for model-specific or updated figures.

Grid emissions intensity by region

Weighted annual averages from AEMO CDEII. Use your state's most recent value for the Grid emissions intensity input. NEM regions from AEMO CDEII; WA is from Open Electricity.

Region 2024 (kgCO₂e/kWh) 2025 (kgCO₂e/kWh) Source
New South Wales & ACT 0.63 0.59 AEMO CDEII
Queensland 0.66 0.64 AEMO CDEII
Victoria 0.75 0.69 AEMO CDEII
South Australia 0.15 0.13 AEMO CDEII
Tasmania 0.02 0.01 AEMO CDEII
Western Australia (SWIS) 0.435 0.414 Open Electricity WEM
NEM average 0.61 0.58 AEMO CDEII

Common petrol & diesel cars — fuel consumption

Combined-cycle fuel consumption from CarsGuide. Figures are for recent model years; exact consumption varies by variant and driving conditions.

Vehicle Fuel L / 100 km Source
Toyota Corolla (1.8L hybrid) Petrol 3.9 Cars Guide
Toyota RAV4 (2.5L hybrid) Petrol 4.8 Cars Guide
Mazda3 (2.0L) Petrol 5.9 Cars Guide
Hyundai i30 (2.0L) Petrol 7.4 Cars Guide
Mazda CX-5 (2.5L) Petrol 7.4 Cars Guide
Ford Ranger (2.0L) Diesel 7.6 Cars Guide
Toyota HiLux (2.8L) Diesel 7.9 Cars Guide
Hyundai Tucson (2.0L) Petrol 8.1 Cars Guide

Common electric vehicles — energy consumption

Energy consumption based on CarsGuide model data. Where CarsGuide does not list kWh/100km directly, values are derived from quoted battery size and WLTP range.

Vehicle kWh / 100 km Source
Hyundai IONIQ 6 (77.4 kWh, RWD) 12.6 Cars Guide
BYD Seal RWD 13.3 Cars Guide
Tesla Model 3 RWD 13.5 Cars Guide
Tesla Model Y RWD 13.9 Cars Guide
MG MG4 (64 kWh) 14.2 Cars Guide
Mini Cooper Electric (E) 14.3 Cars Guide
BYD Atto 3 14.4 Cars Guide
Hyundai IONIQ 5 (84 kWh, RWD) 14.7 Cars Guide
Kia EV6 (84 kWh, RWD) 15.9 Cars Guide

Typical household space heating demand

Approximate annual space heating energy demand for a typical 3-bedroom house (~150 m²). Values vary significantly with home size, insulation, and occupant behaviour. Source: 2021 Residential Baseline Study for Australia and New Zealand for 2000 to 2040.

Climate / City MJ / year kWh / year Source
Hot / subtropical (Brisbane) 3,600–7,200 1,000–2,000 2021 Residential Baseline Study
Warm coastal (Sydney, Perth) 7,200–14,400 2,000–4,000 2021 Residential Baseline Study
Temperate (Melbourne, Adelaide) 14,400–25,200 4,000–7,000 2021 Residential Baseline Study
Cold (Canberra, Hobart) 21,600–36,000 6,000–10,000 2021 Residential Baseline Study

Reverse-cycle air conditioner COP guide

The Australian Government notes that reverse-cycle air conditioners on the local market are typically 300% to 600% efficient. That corresponds to an approximate heating COP range of 3.0 to 6.0 because COP is heat output divided by electrical input. Ducted systems are usually less efficient than wall-mounted split systems because of fan and duct losses.

Indicative efficiency Approx. COP Interpretation Source
300% 3.0 Lower end of current market range energy.gov.au
350% 3.5 Reasonable conservative planning assumption energy.gov.au
400% to 500% 4.0 to 5.0 Efficient modern split-system range energy.gov.au
600% 6.0 Upper end of current market range energy.gov.au