Consumers should be warned they are locking themselves into decades of covering gas network costs as electrification accelerates, Energy Consumers Australia proposes.
"We know how many hens per hectare there are when we buy our carton of eggs," the consumer group's general manager advocacy and policy Brian Spak told AAP.
"But there's not simple consumer information on the package when you buy a gas appliance."
The threat of unsustainable price hikes underpins the consumer advocacy group's calls for an "equitable and orderly" gas phase-out.
A national electrification blueprint targeting no gas in new homes by 2028 and all-electric housing by 2050 should be accompanied with consumer appliance labels and mandatory electric replacements for busted gas appliances in rentals.
Lowering upgrade costs was also recommended, as well as managing the transition of the $11 billion gas network that fairly shares the costs between consumers, networks, investors and taxpayers.
Household gas bills are expected to soar as climate goals and improving economics bolster the case for home and business electrification, leaving behind a shrinking pool of customers to cover costs of gas pipes and infrastructure.
By 2045, a near 80 per cent decline in household and commercial gas use is forecast by the Australian Energy Market Operator.
Modelling suggests South Australians could be slugged with a near 65 per cent total gas bill increase within the decade if they do not electrify.
By mid-century, households in the state could be paying 265 per cent more for gas.
Renters, low-income households and apartment-dwellers are most likely to get stuck on gas.
Regulators have been responding, with new gas buyers soon to pay upfront for connections to stop costs being socialised across the entire customer base.
Nationally aligned government policy is needed as well, Mr Spak said.
"We need government to just, first of all, acknowledge that this is the direction" the energy market is travelling in he said.
Government quietly recognises the projected demise of gas but "saying it out loud" would send a message to choose electric as gas appliances reach end-of-life, he said.
"The longer we wait, the harder this is going to get," he said.
"You're going to have people who buy gas appliances now or in five years, and then are stuck with this gas appliance they don't want."
State and territory governments are primarily responsible for gas networks and the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria have been spearheading pathways towards electrification.
Other gas-reliant states, including South Australia, NSW and Western Australia, have been falling behind.
While banning new gas appliances is flagged as the most effective pathway to electrification, the report recognises limited political appetites for restricting consumer choice.
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