Gas Stoves Might Be Phased Out Entirely to Help Save the Planet
If you’re interested in building a new home or are planning a remodel, you may have to jump through hoops to get your coveted gas range approved depending on what state and/or city you’re looking to build in.
According to a new report from Curbed, several state governments and local municipalities are trying to shift new homes and renovations over to electric to cut back on carbon emissions. So, you may have to give up your gas range for the greater good.
As Curbed reports, 40% of U.S. energy, and 39% of global energy, is eaten up by buildings. And with an estimated 70 million U.S. households and businesses running on natural gas, oil, or propane, about 560 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions are produced per year.
California is currently leading the charge in the gas-to-electric movement. In July 2019, Berkeley, California became the first municipality to legally ban the installation of natural gas lines in new homes and buildings, with 20 other California towns joining suit with similar laws. Seattle, Washington plans to make all new civic buildings fully electric by 2021, and Maine lawmakers passed a bill to fund the installation of electric heat pumps to replace gas furnaces throughout the state.
This movement as a whole, which has already peaked in popularity in Europe, has been dubbed “building electrification.” Although homes that run on natural gas are at the bottom of the priority list in comparison to larger building projects, building electrification could affect you and your community in the very near future.
Energy consulting firm E3 believes that if the state of California alone made all new and rebuilt buildings gas-free, the emissions produced by these new buildings could be cut 90% by 2050. E3 also predicts that switching to electric will save California homeowners big bucks in the long run—not only are electric appliances easier to install, they will also reduce utility bills over time.
Knowing this, imagine the impact of building electrification as a nationwide effort.
However, there are still a lot of hurdles to overcome before building electrification becomes commonplace—the biggest one being the pushback from the gas industry. Gas company reps have argued that replacing existing natural gas lines in homes with electrical systems will waste perfectly good infrastructure, which isn’t very green. Making the switch to electric a slower process would be more beneficial to both the residents and the climate, gas companies argue. But environmentalists say that waiting any longer to do something about carbon output is detrimental to the planet.
With states setting carbon neutral goals (California hopes to be carbon neutral by 2045, for example), building electrification will help them get to where they want to go.
If you’re feeling torn about wanting to give up your gas stove in order to help the environment, look at this way: the trend of switching from gas to electric will most likely spur appliance companies to up their game and put out amazing electric products. If you’re willing to give electric ranges a chance—despite being literally burned in the past—Mother Nature will thank you big time.