- The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is taking the first step in phasing out the sale of gas heating appliances to help clean the air of smog.
- The new regulations will only affect new buildings and major renovations, with exemptions for low-income households and buildings that can’t accommodate electric appliances.
- The move is part of the district’s plan to meet state and federal air quality standards and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- The district will work with builders and developers to help them transition to electric appliances and will offer incentives to encourage the switch.
- This step is part of a larger effort by the Sierra Club to promote clean energy and reduce the use of fossil fuels in order to address the impacts of climate change.
By Sierra Club | March 17, 2023
Fossil fuel furnaces and water heaters in the Bay Area that break down later this decade will be replaced with clean electric alternatives like heat pumps, according to a first-in-the-nation standard approved today by regulators at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). The new rule is aimed at tackling pollution from gas water heaters and furnaces, which are responsible for more nitrogen oxide pollution than all passenger vehicles in the Bay Area combined…
BAAQMD developed the standard in partnership with health, environmental, environmental justice, and community groups as part of their plan for meeting federal air quality standards that protect health. The rule’s passage was supported by the Building and Construction Trades Councils from all 9 Bay Area counties, and the Bay Area’s biggest dual-fuel utility, PG&E.
Regulators estimate that implementation of the rule will prevent 15,000 asthma attacks and avoid up to 85 premature deaths every year due to improvements in air quality. The standard will take effect in 2027 for single-family residential water heaters, 2029 for residential furnaces, and 2031 for multifamily and commercial water heaters.
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