As I am sure you are aware, the Andrews Government announced a ban on new gas connections from January 2024.
The ban effects all new gas connections to a new property or full permit build (knock down re build)
First and foremost, this ban has no effect on the 82% of Victorian households which are currently connected to the Natural Gas Network. The state government has committed to at least three decades of supply of natural gas to the existing network which is the largest natural gas reticulation system in Australia. This means that any house which is now connected to the network can keep their gas appliances, but more importantly upgrade appliances to new gas products or renovate the home and add gas products such as a gas log fireplace. With the launch of the I series from Heat & Glo, we are very well equipped to capture the renovation and upgrade market for gas appliances. Add to this, our 5X, 6X and SLR-X continue to be installed in renovations and as stand-alone projects in existing homes.
Three decades in supply will outlast any gas product so consumers can be confident that their investment in a gas log fireplace will be a sound investment into the future.
Although the ban has serious ramifications to our builder market, we have made several key decisions in our company over the past five years to provide gas alternatives to the new builder market.
Our Visionline electric range was launched more than 3 years ago and continues to develop and evolve as technologies change. Our series two linear range will launch within the next few months which offers value price product with great flame pattern and a reduced frame size.
The Visionline View has just had an update with new flame pattern and improved logs. We showed this at our mid season training and the response was fantastic.
We are also well into the development of two insert style electric fireplaces which suit installation into a mantel or existing fireplace.
We are also excited to announce that we will be launching the Simple Fire Inception electric fireplace with Digi Spark technology later this year. This electric fireplace is produced by Heat & Glo and is class leading in look as well as output with 3kw output with 15amp input. This fireplace is made in the US and is a game changer for electric fireplaces. You can see more about this product here https://www.heatnglo.com/fireplaces/electric/built-in/inception
Our investment into the Visionline brand of wood fireplaces also sets us well for the new construction market. The Visionline range of solid fuel fireplaces add European style and look combined with Australian performance. These products have taken our wood sales to new levels and into areas which we have not been able to access before. The addition of the Pera to our catalogue gives us the perfect style of fireplace for a new home with small footprint, unmatched style and at a great price point. We are currently working with our engineers and will be bringing to market two insert wood products which will also bolster our range and offer fan forced euro look fireplaces for new homes as well as into existing fireplaces. Couple this with our Visionline safety vent which overcomes negative pressure issues and we have a brand which is focused on the long term.
Our HHT range of wood fires which will soon fall under the title of “Forge and Flame” is also a strong portfolio boasting the largest burn times, classic American looks and of course our mantel as Australia’s most efficient fireplace.
Quadra Fire and Vermont Castings have experienced strong growth over the past three years and we look to build on this as the market looks more and more at efficiency in wood burning products. The Expedition One will launch early next year which gives us a smaller insert with smaller footprint for new construction via zero clearance, or more ability to fit into existing fireplaces with its compact size.
The Harman brand of pellet fires are well in development stage for the Australian market and we will be fast tracking this to meet the demand for affordable heating in the non gas market. Harman have several key technologies patented including being the only pellet fire which is not gravity fed or “drop” feed making it easy to operate, clean and substantially quieter. We look forward to launching this product in conjunction with Visionline insulated pellet flue pipe later this year.
Most importantly, all our Heat & Glo gas models are available in Propane LPG. This means that if a customer who is building a new home in Victoria would like a gas log fireplace, the option is still there for them. This is very much the case in Norway where our sister company Visionline Norway has a substantial gas market even through there is no natural gas reticulation.
Lastly, our name sake stays the same. It all started back in Australia in 1979 with Jetmaster universal and this product is still our staple and has experienced growth over the past two years both indoors and outdoors. We will continue to push and market this product and all our products to support you and our brands now and into the future.
If you would like to talk further about the changes ahead, please feel free to reach out and I’m happy to chat when I’m in office.
Regards,
Ash
General Manager