The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted unanimously last week to pass a plan to ban natural gas heaters and furnaces by 2030, ostensibly to reduce smog to meet federal ozone standards and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
The plan, which was adopted unanimously by the board, raises questions about how the state’s power grid will handle new demand from electric space heaters in the winter. [bold, links added]
California homes are generally less insulated than homes in states with colder climates, meaning that the use of space heaters is popular when temperatures dip at night in the winter months.
The interior regions of the state, which are poorer than the coastal regions of the state, would be more affected by the new standard.
The plan states that CARB will achieve its goal through “meaningful engagement” with residents on heaters and furnaces:
Through meaningful engagement with communities and the process outlined below, CARB would adopt a statewide zero-emission standard which would have criteria pollutant benefits as a key result along with GHG reductions. Beginning in 2030, 100 percent of sales of new space heaters and water heaters would need to comply with the emission standard.
CARB would design any such standard in collaboration with energy and building code regulators, and with air districts, to ensure it was consistent with all state and local efforts, and would work carefully with communities to consider any housing cost or affordability impacts, recognizing that reducing emissions from space and water heaters can generate health benefits and cost-savings with properly designed standards.
CARB understands that this measure needs to be part of a suite of equity-promoting and complementary building decarbonization policies deeply informed by public process that include scaling back natural gas infrastructure, expanding construction of zero-emission buildings, and building a sustainable market by increasing affordability and accessibility through expanding incentive programs, ensuring utility rates are supportive of electrification, developing the workforce, and increasing consumer education.
…
This measure would not mandate retrofits in existing buildings, but some buildings would require retrofits to be able to use the new technology that this measure would require. Beginning in 2030, 100 percent of new space and water heaters (for either new construction or replacement of burned-out equipment in existing buildings) sold in California would need to meet the zero-emission standard. It is expected that this regulation would rely heavily on heat pump technologies currently being sold to electrify new and existing homes.
In addition to the development process for the Proposed 2022 State SIP Strategy, the measure as proposed by staff or adopted by the Board will be subject to a full public process.
The idea that electric heaters would be “zero emissions” does not take into account how electricity is generated.
Currently, renewable energy sources account for about one-third of California’s power supply; natural gas accounts for 50%.
The Hill adds: “California’s Public Utilities Commission also eliminated subsidies for new natural gas hookups last week, marking the first state to do so.”
While touted as a way to lower emissions and reduce utility bills, the fundamental question of how to heat homes and provide fuel for cooking remains an open one in a state that has struggled to provide electricity to residents in periods of high demand.
Separately, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed 40 separate climate bills earlier this month.
Read more at Breitbart
Just when you think California can’t get nuttier then they do this. Will California residents ever rise up and take back their state? CARB is a group of unelected bureaucrats who are setting out to destroy the state.
I say let them [CARB-et-al] carry on and force the sensible electorate either vote them out [or move out], leaving Californicate to collapse economically.
The people who would do the vote out have and are continuing to move out of state. Though I’m from Oregon I went to high school, did most of my college, and started my professional career in California. Everyone I knew there that I’m still in contact with has fled the state. Those left voting are the less sensible and more poorly informed.
Newsom is a Idiot a typical Big Government Liberal Democrat who needs voted out in November
Due to California’s heavy reliance on wind and solar power their cost of power is incredibly high. Forcing everyone to use electric heating rather than gas will have significant impact on energy bills. We have just learned the hard way that gas furnaces only last 20 years. After that there is a very high failure rate and replacement parts are no longer available. Thus after 20 years existing homes would all be forced to use the expensive electric.
This decision is on top of the proposed mandate to force all trucks to be electric. California’s power grid can not handle that and it certainly can’t handle all electric homes in addition. The California Air Resources Board is totally out of touch with reality.
In eight years, I predict:
— California will have less grid capacity than today
— Scheduled blackouts will become a common occurrence, like I have seen many times in third world countries
— California’s debt, now at $550M, will exceed $1T
— The climate will be the same or cooler
“California’s debt, now at $550M…” ??
Reading earlier today at KESQ(.)com that California currently has a budget surplus of $100 billion. Hospitals in the Palm Springs to Indio area are asking for one Billion dollars to complete seismic upgrades to their facilities.
Sacramento is going to kill California’s tourism business. Who wants to visit Bedlam? I made my last visit years ago. A Hispanic told me, in a Marriott hotel bar, that whites had no right to live there. Adios!
And what about all the energy that the state of California uses
from its own gas wells?
Are those wells going to be shut off?
Or are just the plebeians to be denied natural gas use?
Gavin Newsom is such a lying hypocrite.
California’s path is going to take it to the point of a severe lack of electric power. Some sort of rationing will result. This could be simple as rolling blackouts. As consumers we need to be aware of and avoid other possible actions. We need to be aware of what is possible today. With some new cars the software that control the radios are updated over WiFi without the knowledge let alone the permission of the owners. As the energy crisis worsens such capability could be applied to home thermostats that can be control via WiFi from devices such as cell phones. Without the knowledge or permission of the owner the smart thermostat could have its software updated. Government bureaucrats could monitor the temperature of the home. Fines could be levied if it was heated to too high of a temperature. Control of the thermostat could be seized and a maximum setting installed. During periods of severe shortage the thermostat could be commanded not to turn on the heat. We are currently having our furnace replaced and the company wanted to use a smart thermostat that could be controlled with a cell phone. Though we live in the state of Washington where government abuses are less likely, I told the company any new furnace had to use our current mechanical thermostat.
My wood stove doesn’t have a thermostat. Must admit that my swamp cooler does have one. It controls the water pump. (An item not available commercially, I had to design and build it myself, parts from Radio Shack.)