Bay Area air quality regulators phasing out new installations of natural gas water heaters and furnaces beginning in 2027

In a first-of-its-kind action anywhere in the country, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has adopted rules prohibiting installation of natural gas furnaces and water heaters in residential and commercial settings beginning in 2027.

The goal is to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions that contribute to unhealthy air, particularly ozone and particulate matter, which is linked to asthma, heart attack, stroke, neurological disease, lung cancer and other serious and potentially fatal health conditions.

Regulators say emissions from natural gas appliances account for about the same nitrogen oxide emissions as passenger vehicles in the Bay Area.

The nonprofit San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, or SPUR, says gas appliances generate four times as much nitrogen oxide as all the state’s power plants combined.

The California Air Resources Board last year announced it would ban new sales of gas heaters, furnaces and water heaters beginning in 2030.

The Bay Area air district’s more aggressive move is estimated to prevent 85 premature deaths and dozens of new asthma cases each year, and avert up to $890 million a year in health impacts.

“The 1.8 million water heaters and furnaces in the Bay Area significantly impact our air quality, resulting in dozens of early deaths and a wide range of health impacts, particularly in communities of color,” Dr. Philip Fine, executive officer of the air district, said in a news release. "This groundbreaking regulation will phase out the most polluting appliances in homes and businesses to protect Bay Area residents from the harmful air pollution they cause.”

The air district board, which consists of representatives from member counties and cities, including Sonoma County Supervisor Lynda Hopkins and Petaluma Councilman Brian Barnacle, voted 20-0 in favor of the amendments Wednesday, with one abstention and three absences.

The room was packed with doctors, local eighth-graders, parents and others offering “overwhelming support,” said Hopkins, board secretary.

“Brian and I were talking afterward,” she said, “and we both agreed it was one of the best votes we’ve made. It’s pretty amazing to be the first in the country and to be actively participating in a just transition away from fossil fuels.”

The new rules allow only zero-emission water heaters, like electric heat pumps or tankless water heaters, to be sold or installed in the Bay Area beginning in 2027.

In 2029, only zero-emission furnaces can be sold or installed.

In 2031, only zero-emission commercial water heaters can be sold or installed.

The new rules do not mean people have to run out immediately and replace their appliances, said Hopkins. It only applies when consumers are replacing a failed appliance after the applicable date for that kind of item.

And it doesn’t apply to cooking appliances at all.

But it means keeping pace with increased understanding of the role natural gas plays in the warming of the planet and health problems caused by exposure, particularly in communities of color, the air district said.

More and more communities are turning to all-electric codes for new buildings and electric appliances as a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Heat pumps and heat pump water heaters are super energy efficient, relocating heat from the ambient air in one place to another, while heat pumps can provide both warmth in the winter and cooling in the summer.

Though they typically have higher initial costs, they generally cost less to run and can often be purchased with rebates and subsidies.

SPUR estimates low income households can save up to $8,000 in upfront costs when converting from gas furnaces and tank water heaters to heat pumps through the Bay Area Regional Energy Network.

“I would say that I am hearing of more and more residents who are voluntarily electrifying and really, actually, heat pumps being the most popular,” Hopkins said.

The new air district rules only apply to portions of Sonoma County that are inside the Air Quality District Boundary. That includes Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Cotati, Sonoma and Sebastopol, as well as unincorporated parts of Sonoma County roughly bounded on the west by Occidental and Valley Ford and on the north by Windsor.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan (she/her) at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.