Owners shifting away from fuel home equipment hit regulatory velocity bump

SUNNYVALE — As state and local officials begin to mandate only electrical equipment, PG&E has long backlogs in approving upgrades needed for many older homes.

A South Bay couple is feeling the shock of trying to go electric, and their story might serve as a cautionary tale for many.

Mike and Karen Kapolnek’s home in Sunnyvale is more than 100 years old and he has to go down the stairs under the house to get to his stove and water heater. The couple thought they were doing the right thing and replacing all of their gas appliances with electric ones, but it turns out the problem isn’t with the appliances.

“In order to replace these, we need to upgrade our (electrical) switchboard,” Mike said. “We have a 100 amp panel at the moment and we really need about 200 amps.”

They were willing to pay an electrician for that.

“But then we started looking at the various PG&E rules that make it difficult to replace a panel in place,” Mike said.

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The rules state that a new panel must not be placed too close to the gas meter, although many have been installed there in the past to allow PG&E meters to be read easily.

The Kapolneks have received mixed opinions from the utility company about whether their switchboard is too close to the gas meter, but they were also told that they would need to install a steel post next to their narrow driveway to protect the switchboard.

“Going in and out of a long driveway with a metal pole here was a non-starter for us,” Mike said.

So they decided to move the entire unit to the other side of the house, which could cost more than $10,000.

“PG&E asked us for a $5,000 deposit to cover part of the cost of moving the line to the other side of the house,” Mike explained. “So $10,000 wouldn’t be surprising.”

In addition to the costs, there is time for installation. The Kapolneks have been trying to get approval for the project since August, and they are currently on a 35-week backlog to get the job done. They anticipate it will take a full year to complete the process, but at least they’re in line.

Beginning in 2027, it will be illegal to install gas water heaters in the Bay Area, and they’re concerned about what the backlog will look like for people who need to replace a broken unit.

“I worry about the families who may have to move out of their homes for three, six, maybe more months,” Karen said. “Where will they find a home and will they have to pay double the rent? Or pay two mortgages, or rent and a mortgage? It just seems like the cost wasn’t fully estimated.”

The experience has left the couple feeling jaded about the way rules are made.

“They’re very enthusiastic and want it done right away,” Mike said. “But you have to take a step back and realize that this is affecting real people, that we have real systems that people rely on in their day-to-day lives and you have to work with those and transition smoothly and think about these issues and solve them before it is too late.”

Currently, the state ban on gas appliances begins in 2035, but the Bay Area has a more aggressive timeline. This is where the ban on new gas boilers from 2027 and for new stoves from 2029 begins.

John Ramos

John Ramos accidentally launched a lifelong career in journalism when he began drawing editorial cartoons and writing witty satire for the Bakersfield High School newspaper.