[1/2] A person walks along a street in San Francisco as the city struggles to return to its pre-pandemic downtown occupancy rate, falling behind many

San Francisco Bay area to phase out natural gas heating appliances

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2023-03-16 21:00:06

[1/2] A person walks along a street in San Francisco as the city struggles to return to its pre-pandemic downtown occupancy rate, falling behind many other major cities around the country, according to local officials, in California, U.S., February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

March 16 (Reuters) - The San Francisco Bay area will phase out natural gas-powered furnaces and water heaters beginning in 2027 to improve local air quality and public health.

It is the latest move by local officials in the United States to eliminate natural gas, a fossil fuel, from heating homes and buildings. California has been at the forefront of the effort, and the California Air Resources Board said last year it will require that all new space and water heaters have zero emissions by 2030.

In a vote held late Wednesday, the board of directors of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) adopted rules that will require new water heaters and furnaces to have zero emissions of nitrogen oxides, or NOx. Exposure to NOx has been linked to respiratory conditions, according to the BAAQMD.

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