A group of California neighbors are working to eliminate gas-powered appliances that cause harmful air pollution in the home. The group is an alliance of California Community Empowerment (ACCE) Action, formed after learning about the public health risks created by indoor gas appliances.
As Twilight Greenaway explains in Inside Climate News, the “neighborhood scale” or zone decarbonisation move is trying to eliminate gas lines in favour of electrified housing. The idea is supported by Northern California utility Pacific Gas & Electric, and says that “it will help you to electrically use some of the money you use to maintain your gas lines to electrically neighbourhood homes that no longer use gas.”
This group is working with PG&E to identify areas suitable for decarbonization. “When the group selects an area, they plan to run a pilot project with the aim of electrifying all appliances and adding solar panels and batteries for up to 80 homes.”
Impressing large neighborhoods, “makes more sense than a fragmented approach in many parts of the state.” The new California law, SB 1221, allows for neighborhood-scale decarbonization projects if more than 67% of neighbors agree.
It is important for Greenaway to support low-income residents who may not be able to afford electrical appliances. According to Michelle Plouse, a community development analyst in Albany, California, “If we don’t remove the gas line, the cost of maintaining it continues to increase over time, and the user base drops as people become electrified.”
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