Designing an all-electric home involves more than replacing gas appliances with electric alternatives. Heating and cooling, hot water, cooking, electrical infrastructure and building fabric all need to be considered as part of a coordinated residential design.
For architects, building designers, developers and homeowners, a practical checklist can help identify the decisions, documents and specialist inputs needed before a project progresses into detailed design or construction.
The appropriate approach will depend on whether the project involves a new home, a substantial renovation or an existing dwelling being converted from gas to electricity.
An effective all-electric home design brings building performance, household systems and project documentation together before important decisions become difficult to change.
In Brief
An all-electric home design checklist should address the building's thermal performance, intended household energy systems, electrical infrastructure and the documentation needed to coordinate them.
The main areas include heating and cooling, hot water, cooking, electrical capacity, solar and battery provisions, electric vehicle charging and relevant residential energy assessment requirements.
It should also identify who is responsible for confirming equipment specifications, installation requirements and any specialist design decisions.
For new homes, relevant NatHERS, Whole of Home and state-specific compliance requirements should be considered as part of the design process. Existing homes may require a different assessment approach.
Scope note: This checklist supports residential design coordination. It is not a substitute for electrical design, mechanical equipment sizing, hydraulic design, installation specifications or specialist safety assessments. These activities must be completed by appropriately qualified professionals where required.
The first step is establishing what the project is intended to achieve and which household systems will use electricity.
For a new dwelling, the design team may be able to coordinate all-electric systems from the outset. For an existing home, some appliances may remain in place until they are replaced as part of a staged upgrade.
The project scope should distinguish between systems being installed now, systems being retained and future upgrades that may need provisions in the current design.
This helps avoid conflicting assumptions between architectural drawings, energy assessments, electrical documentation and equipment selections.
Design Checklist
☐ Confirm whether the project is a new build, renovation or existing-home conversion.
☐ Identify which gas appliances will be removed or retained.
☐ Identify the proposed electric household systems.
☐ Record any future electrification provisions.
Building fabric influences the amount of heating and cooling a dwelling requires.
Insulation, glazing, shading, orientation and air leakage characteristics can all affect thermal performance.
For new homes, these considerations can be reviewed through NatHERS thermal performance assessment and coordinated with the architectural design.
For existing dwellings, an appropriate home energy assessment may help identify building performance characteristics and potential improvements.
Improving the building fabric can reduce heating and cooling demand, but the final selection and sizing of mechanical equipment remains a separate specialist task.
Design Checklist
☐ Review insulation and glazing specifications.
☐ Consider orientation, shading and solar exposure.
☐ Coordinate relevant building fabric details.
☐ Confirm the applicable energy assessment pathway.
Reverse-cycle air conditioning is a common option for providing electric heating and cooling in Australian homes.
The design team should identify the intended system arrangement and coordinate relevant equipment locations, outdoor units, condensate drainage, access and other installation considerations.
The selected arrangement may also influence electrical requirements and household energy modelling.
Thermal performance modelling can inform the wider design process, but it should not be used as a substitute for specialist heating and cooling load calculations or equipment sizing.
Design Checklist
☐ Identify the intended heating and cooling approach.
☐ Allow for equipment and outdoor unit locations.
☐ Coordinate installation access and drainage requirements.
☐ Confirm specialist equipment selection and sizing responsibilities.
Hot water is an important part of an all-electric residential design.
Heat pump hot water systems are one option, but equipment requirements vary by product and installation.
The design should allow for the proposed system's physical dimensions, airflow requirements, noise considerations, plumbing connections, drainage and maintenance access.
The selected hot water system may also influence applicable energy performance or compliance documentation.
Product selection, hydraulic design, electrical connection and installation requirements should be confirmed by the relevant professionals.
Design Checklist
☐ Identify the proposed hot water technology.
☐ Allocate suitable equipment space and access.
☐ Review airflow, noise and drainage considerations.
☐ Confirm equipment details for relevant energy assessments.
An all-electric kitchen may include an induction cooktop and electric oven.
The architectural and electrical documentation should be coordinated with the proposed appliance specifications and kitchen layout.
Appropriate cooking ventilation should also be considered, as electric cooking still produces moisture, heat and airborne cooking contaminants.
Electrical circuit requirements must be confirmed by a licensed electrical professional.
Design Checklist
☐ Confirm the intended cooktop and oven type.
☐ Coordinate appliance dimensions and locations.
☐ Consider suitable kitchen ventilation.
☐ Confirm electrical installation requirements.
The electrical installation must be appropriate for the proposed household systems.
For existing homes, a licensed electrician may need to review the supply, switchboard, circuits and potential additional loads before equipment is installed.
For new homes, electrical requirements should be coordinated during design, including foreseeable future systems such as electric vehicle charging.
Not every all-electric dwelling requires three-phase power or a switchboard upgrade. These are project-specific matters requiring professional assessment.
For a more detailed explanation, see our guide to electrical capacity for home electrification.
Design Checklist
☐ Confirm electrical supply and installation review responsibilities.
☐ Provide proposed equipment information to the electrical professional.
☐ Identify potential future electrical loads.
☐ Record required electrical design and installation decisions.
Rooftop solar, battery storage and electric vehicle charging may form part of the initial project or be considered as future additions.
Where these systems are proposed, the design team should coordinate suitable locations, access, relevant spatial allowances and specialist electrical requirements.
For rooftop solar, roof geometry, orientation, shading and available installation space can influence system opportunities.
Battery systems and EV chargers introduce further installation considerations that should be reviewed by appropriately qualified professionals.
These technologies can influence household energy performance, but their inclusion does not remove the need for appropriate electrical design.
Design Checklist
☐ Identify current or future rooftop solar intentions.
☐ Consider battery installation provisions where relevant.
☐ Review EV charging requirements and parking layout.
☐ Coordinate specialist design and network requirements.
Energy performance assessments and regulatory requirements should be coordinated with the actual building design and intended household systems.
For applicable new residential projects, NatHERS thermal performance assessment evaluates the building's modelled heating and cooling requirements.
NatHERS Whole of Home considers specified household energy systems under its assessment methodology.
For applicable NSW projects, BASIX may establish relevant sustainability commitments that need to be reflected in the project documentation.
Requirements vary by project type, location and applicable regulatory pathway. An existing-home energy rating does not automatically establish compliance for new building work.
Changes to nominated systems or building specifications may require relevant assessment documentation to be reviewed or updated.
Design Checklist
☐ Confirm the applicable residential compliance pathway.
☐ Identify required NatHERS, Whole of Home or BASIX assessments.
☐ Provide current building and equipment information.
☐ Review assessment implications when specifications change.
An all-electric design may involve information from the architect, building designer, energy assessor, electrician, mechanical specialist, hydraulic designer and equipment suppliers.
These inputs should be coordinated so that the intended systems, available installation space and relevant assessment assumptions remain consistent.
For example, an energy assessment may identify a nominated hot water system while the construction documentation shows a different equipment arrangement.
Such differences should be resolved before they affect procurement, installation or compliance documentation.
A coordinated design record helps project teams identify what has been confirmed, what remains provisional and which professional is responsible for outstanding decisions.
The following table summarises the main design areas and the information that should be available before relevant decisions are finalised.
| Design area | Information to confirm | Typical coordination |
|---|---|---|
| Building fabric | Insulation, glazing, shading and thermal specifications. | Designer and energy assessor. |
| Heating and cooling | System arrangement, equipment locations and specialist sizing. | Designer, mechanical specialist and electrician. |
| Hot water | Technology, location, access and equipment specifications. | Designer, hydraulic specialist and installer. |
| Cooking | Appliances, ventilation and electrical requirements. | Kitchen designer and electrician. |
| Electrical infrastructure | Supply, switchboard, circuits and proposed loads. | Licensed electrical professional. |
| Solar, battery and EV | Current systems, future provisions and installation space. | Designer and relevant specialist installers. |
| Energy assessment | Applicable pathway, model inputs and required commitments. | Energy assessor and design team. |
Professional responsibilities vary by project and jurisdiction. The table is a coordination guide, not a prescribed allocation of statutory duties.
Consider a proposed new home with reverse-cycle heating and cooling, heat pump hot water, induction cooking and rooftop solar.
The architectural design includes preliminary equipment locations, while the NatHERS assessment considers the dwelling's thermal performance and relevant household systems.
During documentation review, the project team identifies that the proposed hot water equipment requires additional space and that the outdoor heating and cooling unit location has not yet been coordinated.
These matters can be addressed through updated architectural and specialist documentation before installation begins.
The example illustrates the value of a coordinated checklist: it identifies incomplete design decisions without assuming that an energy assessment alone resolves every technical requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
An all-electric home design should coordinate the building fabric, heating and cooling, hot water, cooking, electrical infrastructure and any intended solar, battery or EV charging systems. Relevant energy assessment and compliance documentation should also be considered.
Ideally, before equipment locations, service spaces and key building specifications are finalised. Early coordination can help reduce design conflicts and later documentation changes.
Not necessarily. The required supply arrangement depends on the proposed electrical loads, existing or planned installation and applicable requirements. An appropriately qualified electrical professional should assess this.
No. NatHERS thermal performance assessment models heating and cooling energy requirements under standardised conditions. It does not replace specialist mechanical equipment selection or sizing.
The checklist can help organise both project types, but existing homes may require additional investigation of the current building, electrical installation and existing equipment. Applicable assessment and compliance requirements may also differ.
Useful information may include architectural drawings, building fabric specifications, proposed household systems, equipment details and relevant existing assessment documentation. The exact requirements depend on the project and the scope of the review.
Related Knowledge
Explore the wider relationship between electric household systems, building fabric and residential energy performance.
Understand which all-electric design decisions benefit from early coordination.
Learn which electrical supply, switchboard and circuit considerations require professional review.
Understand how specified household systems contribute to modelled residential energy performance.
Residential Energy Performance
Certified Energy can assist with relevant residential energy performance and compliance assessments to support coordinated all-electric design decisions. Electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and installation requirements should be confirmed separately by appropriately qualified professionals.
Explore Home Electrification Services