The gas stove is increasingly coming under attack by some cities who are seeking more ways to fight climate change. A rising number of municipalities want to eliminate natural gas lines from homes and move solely to electricity. That would include swapping out popular appliances that run on gas for cooking and heating.
California started the movement. In July, Berkeley became the first municipality to sign a law banning the installation of natural gas lines in new buildings. More than 20 other California cities have since passed similar laws. Other local governments across the country are also weighing similar moves to cut building emissions too. Internationally, some countries have already taken the steps to ban domestic natural gas. For example, Amsterdam is completely eliminating it by 2050.
Still, “mandating that new buildings, and any large building retrofits, avoid or replace gas infrastructure and install all-electric appliances won’t completely eliminate the use of natural gas in homes anytime soon,” Curbed.com reports about the growing movement. “But electrification is a great tool for those seeking to start cutting carbon emissions.”
An estimated 70 million American households and businesses burn natural gas, oil, or propane for heating, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute. That generates 560 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
“Gas use in buildings presents a significant roadblock to cutting emissions,” Rachel Golden, deputy director of the Sierra Club’s building electrification initiative, told Curbed.com.
Energy experts say cutting out gas can make a big difference. For example, if California went gas-free in all new and rebuilt buildings, emissions from these buildings could be reduced 90% by 2050, according to E3, an energy consulting firm.
Representatives from the energy industry, however, are fighting back against resolutions that try to curb natural gas use. They’re advocating for “balanced energy solutions.” Some homebuilders are voicing concern too about any rush to going gas-free suddenly.
“There have been billions of dollars invested in gas infrastructure that goes to commercial and residential properties,” CR Herro, vice president of innovation for Meritage Homes, a Arizona-based homebuilder that has built all-electric developments, told Curbed.com. “Environmentalists who want to scrap that and spend the resources to build new infrastructure are being really inefficient from a sustainability perspective. It’s become such a buzzword. Retrofits can be rushed, and sometimes older neighborhoods don’t have the electrical capacity to swap out all the gas-powered devices with electricity.”
Source: “Why Some Cities Are Targeting Gas Stoves to Fight Climate Change,” Curbed.com (Feb. 4, 2020)
