Sacramento wants to replace gas appliances in the city by 2045. Here's how to comment on the plan.

Sacramento is seeking public feedback on a strategy to replace natural gas appliances with electric alternatives in existing buildings throughout the city by 2045.

The public can give comments on the draft strategy, which aims to support climate change goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, through mid-November.

City staff have been working on plans to require and help building owners with retrofits  since August 2020, when the City Council reviewed recommendations from the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change. The strategy outlines a timeline to pass an electrification ordinance for existing buildings by 2026. The ordinance would apply to  single-family homes, multi-unit residential properties and commercial buildings, including warehouses, stores and offices.

Cooking with gas — or electricity? Californians wonder how electrification might impact the food we eat

Electric retrofits can also reduce energy bills and improve indoor and outdoor air quality, Associate Planner Laura Tuller told the planning and design commission on Thursday.

“The goal of our strategy is to advance the health, safety, comfort, climate and economic benefits of electrification for all people in Sacramento through affordable and reliable energy,” said Tuller, who leads the project.

Where things stand now

Single-unit homes and small multi-unit residential buildings account for 77% of gas use from Sacramento buildings, according to a 2019 California Energy Commission study. The study also found an estimated 69%, 67% and 48% of Sacramento's 181,000 households use gas for space heating, water heating and cooking, respectively.

The strategy includes plans to collaborate with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and other partners to connect people with incentives and other electrification programs. The draft also outlines goals to look for grant opportunities for environmental justice areas, collaborate with community organizations on providing culturally sensitive education in multiple languages and develop protections so building owners can’t raise rent for a certain time period after receiving retrofitting incentives.

Some efforts are already underway. SMUD launched a pilot program last year aiming to help residents in Gardenland, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, retrofit their homes. The city and SMUD are also paying for an online tool showing homeowners estimated costs to replace gas appliances for electric ones, how long it might take to get a return on investment and available tax credits and rebates.

“There's opportunities that we can continue to discuss on how we meet those goals and not put the burden on the homeowner and make those costs for new building and residential remodeling just out of touch for most homeowners,” Planning Commissioner Kendra Macias Reed said.

Berkeley court ruling affects Sacramento's plans

In January, the city began requiring newly constructed residential and commercial buildings with three stories or fewer to use all-electric power. But the city currently can’t enforce the requirement because of an April ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Tuller said.

The court ruled in favor of the California Restaurant Association, which sued Berkeley over its new building electrification ordinance. Berkeley requested further judicial review and Sacramento is monitoring the case, Tuller said. The ruling also affects the city’s comfort with potential approaches for an ordinance on existing buildings, she added.

For commercial buildings in the city, restaurants use the most natural gas followed by warehouses, according to the draft strategy for existing building electrification. City staff are considering requiring commercial buildings to meet greenhouse gas emission targets by certain deadlines, Tuller said.

The draft strategy outlines goals to develop programs to support small businesses with retrofits, collaborate with chefs to promote all-electric commercial kitchens and help building owners access rebates and incentives from SMUD, state and federal programs.

How to give feedback

Comments on the draft can be sent to [email protected] or submitted online through Nov. 17.

The council is expected to vote on the strategy after it approves the 2040 General Plan and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan in early 2024, Tuller said.