Local sustainability and environmental leaders in San Mateo County come together to discuss progress and challenges in the gas-to-electric transition for homeowners during a free event November 10 at Genentech in South San Francisco.
Hosted by the non-profit organization Sustainable San Mateo County, the event will feature local sustainability leaders discussing how to ensure a transition to electrification of the existing building stock, along with possible ways to accelerate building electrification, which will translate into the move away from gas stoves, water heaters and others Appliances towards electrical appliances refers options. Sustainable San Mateo County will release its 2022 Indicators Report and discuss the county’s sustainability performance in relation to building energy use, building electrification challenges, and possible solutions and policy initiatives.
One of the speakers is Panama Bartholomy, director of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, which advocates for electrification solutions around the building stock. Bartholomy previously served as an advisor to California Assembly Speaker John Perez and was associate director of the California Energy Commission’s Department of Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Bartholomy hailed San Mateo County as a leader and example for the country on building electrification and air pollution, but acknowledged that more needs to happen to meet carbon neutrality goals.
Bartholomy said the main problem is preventing new buildings from being connected to gas mains, which will violate climate targets for decades to come. He was heartened that so many cities in San Mateo County have adopted all electrical requirements for codes.
“If we want to meet our climate goals as a state and local authorities, we need to do more,” Bartholomy said. “It is great what has been done on the new building, but we still need to do more on the existing buildings. New construction is only a small fraction of the total housing stock, so what the City of San Mateo has recently implemented around existing buildings is really encouraging.”
The San Mateo City Council recently passed an electric building ordinance aimed at converting existing buildings and homes to electric power through retrofits, one of the first Bay Area cities to do so. Panel upgrades, heat pump air conditioners and heat pump water heaters are all subject to stricter rules on single-family home renovations that the city hopes will address carbon emissions. The new rules will come into effect in 2023.
Bartholomy sees other problems in determining when to stop selling gas appliances. Alignment of housing, building code and electrification policies; and improving the electrification market for suppliers and disruptors. Given the relative scale of change, particularly for low-income households, the scale and pace of renovation will also be an issue.
“We have to think more neighborhood by neighborhood instead of device by device,” said Bartholomy.
Contractors have also built a business around gas appliances, and few are likely to switch until there is an economic incentive big enough to switch, Bartholomy said. Many homeowners are only likely to replace a water heater when it fails, with contractors being a key partner in ensuring an electrical switch. While state laws may ban the sale of gas appliances, Bartholomy said it’s important to encourage a switch beforehand to reduce market disruption. The cost of switching from gas to electric appliances is also a challenge, along with upgrading homes that lack proper infrastructure, such as B. the replacement of switchboards or wiring. However, Bartholomy said it was encouraging that the federal inflation-reducing law included tax credits and rebate eligibility for panel upgrades and wiring.
“I think that will help some, but we need to focus more, especially on low-income households,” Bartholomy said.
Susan Wright, director of the sustainability program at the San Mateo County Office of Sustainability, will moderate the panel. Wright said that as part of the county’s Community Climate Action Plan, the Office of Sustainability was studying strategies to help with costs and protect underserved communities and neighborhoods at risk of displacement. Wright pointed out that the Inflation Reduction Act includes $391 billion in funding for electric upgrades, while $145 million is available through the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating Clean California program.
“We are monitoring upcoming funding opportunities and are working with our regional partners to make this funding easier for our community members to access,” Wright said via email.
