San Francisco Bay Area regulators have banned the future sale of gas-powered heating appliances, such as furnaces and water heaters, to protect the region’s air quality.
Starting in 2027, The Bay Area Air Quality Management District will require homeowners to replace any broken gas-powered heating units with heat pumps, devices that use an advanced form of technology similar to refrigerators and air conditioners to cool and heat a home at the same time. Regulators will also work with local governments in the area to ensure that permits for houses require the installation of electric heating appliances.
District officials estimated that this move could prevent smog-forming air pollutants and avert 15,000 asthma attacks and 85 premature deaths in the region due to better air quality. The measure will also contribute to cutting the state’s climate emissions, as home heating currently comprises 11% of the state’s fossil fuel emissions.
In homes that are heated by fossil fuel furnaces and water heaters, numerous air... Read more
