GREEN BUILDINGS COMMITTEE
Committee Goals
The Green Buildings committee has the following goals: 1) promote efficiency and electrification of buildings, 2) work in coalition with other organizations and stakeholders to get local cities to follow the lead of other cities around the state in banning new gas hookups, and 3) support a just and equitable transition of existing buildings away from methane gas.
Join The Campaign For Zero-Emission Appliance Standards
The South Coast AQMD is considering strengthening its gas water heater and gas furnace emission rules to set a zero-emission standard. The agency, which covers all of Los Angeles County as well as Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, currently requires low NOx space and water heating. Similar to vehicle fuel standards, the proposed rules would set stricter standards at the manufacturer level over time but not ban any specific equipment or require any individual consumer to purchase clean appliances. And existing appliances would be not be impacted.
We are part of a coalition that supports this step as a way to improve our local air quality and reduce our region’s greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more, please visit our AQMD campaign page.
Join the Campaign for Clean Air at AQMD!
Home Electrification Resources
On January 19, our committee co-hosted a virtual workshop on how to replace your gas-powered home appliances with clean and efficient electric appliances.
We offered practical tips about how to minimize the upfront cost with rebates and incentives, how to find a contractor, and what to do if you’re a renter.
The recording and many of the resources we shared are now on our website.
Upcoming Committee call
Joining our monthly call is a great way for new people to get involved. During the calls, we share news about green buildings and building electrification and updates on our campaigns.
When: Thursday, February 13 @ 7:30 PM via Zoom. Click here to register.
SIGN UP For Our Monthly Newsletter
Sign up for our monthly Green Buildings email newsletter to get updates on building electrification around Los Angeles and the registration link for our next committee call.
Sign up using the form below, which also opts into the chapter’s general email list.
Headlines - Recent Stories From Our Newsletter
January 24, 2025: Home Electrification Resources
December 6, 2024: Rally for Clean Air - December 6, 2024
November 17, 2024: New Incentives Available in California for Building Electrification Projects
November 17, 2024: Regional Appliance Air Quality Rules Are Under Attack
July 8, 2024: Is This Colorado Lawsuit the Next CRA v Berkeley?
June 20, 2024: LA Climate Reality Contributed to New White Paper “Infill Housing & Land Use as a Tool to Fight Climate Change”
June 8, 2024: South Coast AQMD Strengthens Large Water Heater Rule 1146.2
June 8, 2024: Glendale Suspends All-Electric New Buildings Policy
May 23, 2024: May Green Building News Roundup:
Federal Electric Water Heater Efficiency Rule Finalized
Gas Stove Warning Label Bill Advanced by CA Assembly
Confronting the Climate Crisis Requires Equitable Building Electrification
In California, 25% of greenhouse gas emissions come from our buildings. To eliminate these emissions, we need energy efficiency, a renewable electricity grid, and elimination of gas-burning appliances.
To eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, we will need to replace all gas-powered appliances, a massive retrofit effort. This will be a huge job creator, but also very expensive.
Our committee believes an equitable solution means making sure everyone, including renters and people in lower-income neighborhoods, are able to benefit from this transition. That's why we are advocating for an inclusive process to identify the best, most equitable and affordable pathways to transition.
Resources
Southern California Building Electrification Coalition - the coalition pushing for South Coast AQMD to pass robust zero-emission appliance standards ASAP.
December 2024 Policy Brief from Coalition for Clean Air and RMI on the need for these zero emission furnace and water heater rules in Southern California.
Rewiring America’s December 2024 report, “Breathe Easy”calculates the outdoor air pollution caused by building appliances.
“How Climate Activists Won a Building Electrification Code” webinar (September 28, 2021), presented by our committee and featuring speakers from 350 Sacramento on how they worked in coalition with other environmental and labor groups to get a strong building electrification ordinance for new buildings passed. The Sacramento building electrification ordinance is especially interesting in that it includes a pledge to tackle the challenge of retrofitting existing buildings as well.
Building Decarbonization Coalition and their “The Switch Is On” website that provides education about home electrification as well as practical information like links to contractors and rebates.
U.S. Green Building Council California - Previously USGBC-LA, this is the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, which developed the LEED certification system. USGBC-CA offers events, trainings, and a career center.
Sierra Club tracker of local Building Electrification Ordinances in California
Coverage of California's energy code for 2023 in Canary Media
"A Matter of Degrees" Podcast episode on how SoCal Gas fought against the Santa Barbara building electrification reach code, but environmentalists won: The Devious Plan to Keep Us Hooked on Gas
BayREN (Bay Area Regional Energy Network) is part of the Association of Bay Area Governments. They offer a ton of Green Building resources for home owners, builders, jurisdiction staff, and the building and real estate industry. Although focused on the Bay Area, they have many online resources that can be useful for those down here in Southern California.