California Passes the Home Energy Choice Act

California Passes the Home Energy Choice Act

Victory

AB 2313 gives Californians the option to install non-polluting appliances with the help of funds that would otherwise have been used to replace the old gas line to their home

Contacts

Zoe Woodcraft, [email protected]

Julia Dionne, [email protected]

Kari Birdseye, [email protected]

Damian Franchere, [email protected]

Today, Governor Newsom signed the Home Energy Choice Act (AB 2313) into law. This popular, commonsense legislation authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) will offer California homeowners the choice and the support needed to electrify their homes. When a gas service line (the pipe connecting a home to the gas main line) is due for replacement, utilities will offer a voluntary incentive to electrify instead. This entirely optional program will enable more Californians to determine what energy powers their home appliances. Both owner-occupied and rental properties are eligible, and there will be additional support provided for families in disadvantaged communities. Earthjustice and NRDC co-sponsored the legislation.

"AB 2313 is a win for ratepayers, a win for the environment, and a win for public health," said Assemblymember Marc Berman. "Rather than being forced to have their gas hookups replaced, homeowners will get the choice to receive funds to electrify their homes while overall utility infrastructure spending goes down, lowering rates for all gas ratepayers. I want to thank Governor Newsom for signing this commonsense, cost-effective way to help California meet its climate goals while giving more power to homeowners, not utilities."

"With the Home Energy Choice Act signed into law, thousands of Californians will get the option and the funds to upgrade to non-polluting appliances instead of replacing their gas line," said Matt Vespa, senior attorney on Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign. "We're incredibly grateful to Assemblymember Berman and the California Legislature for their keen judgement in advancing the Home Energy Choice Act, and we encourage other states to take a look at this savvy solution to help more households make the big shift to better technology and clean air while keeping bills down."

Californians are currently not given a choice when their gas line is scheduled to be replaced. Instead, the system works like an auto-renewed subscription where the utility automatically replaces gas lines even as more customers want to electrify and shift to nonpolluting appliances. This way of doing things is driving up costs: UCLA estimates that gas customers will be expected to pay $43 billion by 2045 to maintain the gas system in California.

The Home Energy Choice Act, on the other hand, will bring down costs for everyone. The legislation will reduce bills for all customers because the money that a homeowner receives through the program will be less than what their gas utility would spend replacing the gas service line to their home. As energy rates skyrocket and Californians look for relief, AB 2313 will help make energy more affordable while giving people access to cleaner and more efficient appliances.

"Californians now have the ability to choose the energy sources that are delivered to their homes," said Merrian Borgeson, director of California climate & energy policy at NRDC. "Replacement of fossil-fueled appliances will now be more affordable for households and a healthy by-product of this new regulation is cleaner indoor air."

On top of major clean air and climate benefits, all-electric appliances are better products: heat pumps hold a steadier temperature than gas furnaces and they provide both heating and cooling. This is particularly helpful for the quarter of Californians who currently don't have access to air conditioning. Induction stoves offer quicker and more precise cooking and they're easier to clean.

More than 100 organizations around the state have championed AB 2313 and Californians sent over 13,000 letters to their legislators and the Governor supporting the bill.

Additional Resources

• Californians Deserve to Choose the Energy Source for their Homes - a New Bill Would Give Them the Freedom and Funds to Do So
• Assemblymember Berman Introduces Legislation to Electrify California Homes
• California Can Thread the Needle on Oil Prices, Heatwaves, and Trump Attacks this Year
• Letter of Support: California Home Energy Choice Act
• California Home Energy Choice Act Fact Sheet
• Home Energy Choice Act FAQ

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