by Gina Zari
In March of 2023, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) voted to ban the first two natural gas appliances in the 9-county Bay Area, water heaters and furnaces. More than two years later, the implementation date is approaching rapidly, yet neither the BAAQMD nor any local municipality has issued public notifications of the gas appliance ban.
Why is this a problem? This is a massive problem because there are almost 3 million housing units in the 9-county Bay Area, the vast majority of which are dual-fuel (powered by both gas and electricity). To convert an average home from dual-fuel to all-electric could cost $50,000 or more. Most people don’t realize that you can’t just replace a gas appliance with an electric version of that appliance without substantial and expensive retrofits to their home.
The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2027, seventeen months from now. But, there aren’t enough electricians in the State of California to retrofit by 2027 the nearly 2 million homes that will eventually need to be converted to all-electric.
By failing to inform the public, our local governments are avoiding the firestorm of opposition from angry residents that will ensue, but they are also leaving the public ill-prepared for the rapidly approaching ban on gas appliances.
Starting in January of 2027, if your gas water heater breaks and you have not already retrofitted your home to all-electric, you will be in a long line of people waiting for a contractor, without hot water for many months.
Factors that increase the cost of all-electric renovation are: homes built before the 1980s, homes with power lines that are underground vs. overhead, homes with aluminum wiring vs. copper wiring, and homes with transformers that are across the street vs. those in the front yard. The vast majority of older homes have 100-amp or 125-amp service or lower – these homes will need to be upgraded to 200-amp service to go all-electric. Homes with spas or pools will be significantly more expensive to upgrade to all-electric. Homes with asbestos or lead will also be much more expensive to renovate to all-electric.
In just five months, a state law will take effect that requires sellers of residential property to disclose the BAAQMD’s ban on natural gas appliances and to inform buyers of the renovations necessary to accommodate electric appliances.
This past June, Southern California’s Air Quality Management District voted 7-5 to reject a nearly identical ban after receiving over 30,000 comments from angry residents.
If local municipalities will not inform the public about the ban on natural gas appliances, residents are left to take on the responsibility of educating people of the approaching ban.
Bay Area homeowners, renters, and taxpayers have formed a Coalition to urge the BAAQMD to revoke its ban on natural gas appliances, TooCostlyBayArea.com. Please join us and make your voice heard!
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Gina Zari is the Political Director for the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors
