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San Francisco regulators have taken steps to ban the sale of certain natural gas-powered appliances as part of the city’s climate agenda.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has approved amendments to regulations aimed at eliminating nitrogen oxide emissions from natural gas furnaces and water heaters in the region.
This requires all commercial and residential furnaces and water heaters to be electric by 2027.
The move is aimed at reducing air pollution and emissions, which impact the health of Bay Area residents, particularly in communities of color.
However, the action does not ban gas-powered stoves, which have also been the subject of public health concerns.
The regulations do not require consumers to immediately switch to electric alternatives once they go into effect.
Instead, they prohibit the purchase of new gas-powered products.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed supports the crackdown on gas appliances as part of her Climate Action Plan, which aims to reduce city-wide emissions by 60% below 1990 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2040.
Buildings alone account for 41% of San Francisco’s emissions, and appliances are a focus of future climate regulation.
The amendments follow a 45-day public comment period and are part of a growing trend of Democratic-led cities enacting restrictions on natural gas hookups impacting gas-powered furnaces, ovens, and stoves.
Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, and New York City have all taken action in the last two years.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed a law requiring the phase-out of fossil fuel usage in new buildings, making it the largest city and first large cold-weather city to phase out fossil fuel combustion in new construction.
»San Francisco Leads the Charge in Banning Gas-Powered Appliances«
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