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There is a big push for regulations and legislation to decarbonize buildings in California, largely by replacing fossil fuel use for heating and cooking with electrification. But those efforts face significant opposition from gas utilities and workers unions threatened by the proposed change.

Buildings are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, responsible for 25% of the state’s emissions, according to the California Air Resources Board. One third of California’s building stock is expected to be built between now and 2044. Between 2013-17, California added nearly 250,000 gas customers, more than any other state, according to clean air advocates.

The California Energy Commission is working on its Title 24 building energy efficiency update, which will govern the building industries through 2025. It also is working on a plan expected this July for how to slash building emissions 40% below 1990 levels by the end of the decade.

This week, two bills seeking to make more building functions electric passed out of the Senate Energy Utilities & Communication Committee, over the opposition of utility workers unions.

Tying decarbonization to energy efficiency

SB 31 by Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) folds building decarbonization goals into ratepayer-funded, utility energy efficiency planning and investments. It also would extend to federal funds coming California’s way to help with economic recovery.

Cortese’s bill provides financial and health benefits to Californians, and helps solve the climate crisis, Melissa Romero with the California League of Conservation Voters said.

Electrification work performed under SB 31 would be protected by prevailing wage laws, but that did not lessen union opposition. In addition, the bill was amended to say building decarbonization does not only mean only electric heaters and other electric appliances. He called the bill fuel neutral, and presumably that includes renewable gas.

Scott Wetch, representing workers unions, called the idea of reducing natural gas in buildings “completely perverse” because it will slash work for pipefitters and plumbers by 20%.

The bill passed on a 9-3 vote with two Democrats abstaining. Committee Chair Ben Hueso (D-San Diego) and Sen. Bob Hertzberg (D-Los Angeles) said they voted for the bill on condition that Cortese would work with unions to address their concerns.

“Often bills have noble goals but create unintended consequences,” Hueso asserted.

Bill to improve electric panel upgrades

Another bill approved on Monday by the committee seeks to drive down the cost of home electric panel upgrades and get them accomplished faster to enable electrification and vehicle charging. The energy committee passed SB 68 by Sen. Josh Becker (D-Peninsula) on a 10-2 vote.

“Today, if a homeowner wants to convert her house to all-electric power–or maybe just enable her home to have an electric water heater or a charger for her car–she’s likely in for a costly wait of months,” said Becker (D-Peninsula) author of SB 68. He said one of his constituents waited seven months for Pacific Gas & Electric to connect their battery to the grid. Another ratepayer waited five months to accommodate an electric heat pump.

Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), formerly employed by Southern California Edison, said that panel upgrades can require wiring beyond the home, sometimes to the distribution system.

Under SB 68, building decarbonization technologies would be eligible for grants from the Energy Commission's Electric Program Investment Charge. The bill also directs the Energy Commission to publish best practices to help building owners, the construction industry, and local governments address barriers to building electrification and EV charger installations.

Jan Pepper, Peninsula Clean Energy CEO, said the CEC guidance on best practices would allow for faster upgrades at a lower cost.

CEC moves to more building electrification

The Energy Commission is currently drafting updates for the 2022 building energy efficiency code. But it’s not expected to require all-electric new construction. The latest proposal requires the use of electric heat pumps in place of gas-fueled water or space heating, whichever is the biggest draw in a new home or commercial building.

Earthjustice and the Sierra Club told the CEC that its building code update should mandate all-electric buildings or will not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act

If the 2022 Building Code “contemplates gas appliances in its standard design, project impacts will be significant” under CEQA, the two organizations argued in comments filed with the CEC last week. The Commission may not legally approve a project where “there are feasible alternatives or feasible mitigation measures,” that is, full building electrification, according to Matt Vespa, Earthjustice attorney.