Marin to require electric hookups
“In the end, it shows Marin leading.” Supervisor Judy Arnold
Marin County supervisors voted to require that new buildings get all of their energy from electricity rather than natural gas starting next year, joining the ranks of more than 50 California jurisdictions, including many in the Bay Area, that have similar ordinances.
That means electric stoves instead of gas ranges and heat pumps instead of natural gas heaters, with no gas hookups allowed.
Four Marin County supervisors voted to pass the ordinance at a public hearing on Tuesday (one supervisor was absent).
The move comes as part of a statewide effort to slash emissions and reach carbon neutrality by 2045 as the state grapples with the effects of climate change, including extreme weather and increasingly intense and destructive wildfires. As the state pushes forward, California’s localities are adopting climate-focused ordinances to help reach those goals.
Burlingame, in San Mateo County, is also just finalizing a ordinance to ban natural gas in new construction, to take effect in 2023.
Marin’s rules will apply only to unincorporated areas of the county. Cities and towns would have to adopt the changes separately, which Marin sustainability officials noted would be key in making an impact. Fairfax and Mill Valley already require new construction to be all electric.
Currently, passenger vehicles and energy use within buildings make up most of Marin County’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Marin Community Development Agency. Transportation takes up 56% of emissions, while energy from buildings makes up 31% — most of it from natural gas.
The policy will not require that people in existing buildings replace their natural gas appliances with electric ones, though the county will continue to provide incentives for people to make the switch. It will include exceptions for buildings like restaurants as well as hardship and feasibility exemptions.
For existing buildings undergoing relatively sizable remodels or additions — projects over 750 square feet — the ordinance will require that new appliances meet a more stringent energy efficiency standard, but not that they be all electric.
The Marin Community Development Agency held several community engagement events before recommending the policy.
Brian Reyes, a sustainability manager with the agency, previously told the board of supervisors that utilities like PG&E are preparing for increased demand over time as California increasingly moves toward an all-electric future, and that the phased approach will help the transition go smoothly.
At an October meeting, board members expressed appreciation for the Community Development Agency’s work in putting together the policy and spoke about how critical its adoption would be in fighting climate change.
“In the end, it shows Marin leading,” said Supervisor Judy Arnold.