The Los Angeles City Council has voted to ban most gas appliances in new building construction. The decision is a direct response to the ongoing climate crisis, and will see new buildings fitted with electric appliances to cut down on emissions while also increasing energy efficiency in homes and businesses.
According to an LA Times report, “the likely outcome of L.A.’s new policy is that most new buildings will come equipped with electric heat pumps for space heating and cooling, plus electric water heaters and electric stoves, perhaps with induction cooktops that use magnets to heat food.”
The vote means newly constructed buildings in the City of Los Angeles will need to be emissions-free, although the formation of a compliance schedule and other regulatory frameworks will take time to be implemented. Local council authorities have been asked to draft regulations for the Los Angeles City Council to review by the end of 2022. A rollout of measures is expected to commence in early 2023.
While 54 other cities in California have adopted gas appliance bans for new construction, Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States, draws more scrutiny from a policy, practicality, and rollout schedule standpoint.
The new policy has drawn mixed reviews from the business community, with restaurateurs and food service providers raising immediate concerns about what it means for industry. The use of natural gas in California currently accounts for around 10% of the state’s pollution contributing to the climate crisis.
The wider California gas appliance bans are in line with the Biden Administration’s Weatherization Assistance Program, a funding move targeting an increase in sustainability and energy efficiency measures.
“Home energy retrofits and upgrades – like electrification, heat pumps, LED lighting, insulation, and sealing up leaks – can slash monthly energy bills for families and improve the air we breathe,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm at the launch of the new measures.
“Thanks to the transformative investments in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will be able to help households in disadvantaged communities, reduce carbon emissions, and generate good-paying local jobs in every corner of America.”
