Electrification Policies Continue to Gain Momentum

SACRAMENTO, CA — Last month the City of Sacramento became the 46th California city to ban natural gas hookups in new buildings. The capital of the Golden State is just the latest of several major California cities to enact such policies, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Oakland.

Sacramento is one of the latest to join a movement of municipal governments enacting such electrification policies, which was started by the City of Berkeley in 2019. This pioneering initiative made headlines again earlier this month.  After taking effect, the Berkeley Ordinance was the subject of a lawsuit brought by the California Restaurant Association, which claimed that the city’s actions violated federal law. However, this challenge was struck down by the court, which found that federal law does not prohibit a city from regulating its building infrastructure.  The ruling potentially opens the door for many more communities to follow Berkeley’s lead and enact similar ordinances, both inside and outside of California. 

California has no doubt been a leader in the building electrification movement, but other major cities outside the state have also either enacted, or are considering, similar policies. These include cities like Chicago, Denver, New York, San Antonio and Seattle. In nearly all cases, heat pump technology for water heaters, and space conditioning, are the preferred means for compliance. 

As public policy continues to drive toward the creation of a surging heat pump market, it will be important to ensure people working in the plumbing trade are familiar with this technology. Bradford White Corporation offers several resources that can help professionals both learn, and sharpen, their skill sets as they relate to our AeroTherm Heat Pump Water Heater products. For more information about Bradford White training, please visit bradfordwhite.com/itec-training/.