Starting in 2027, the sale and installation of gas water heaters will be banned in the Bay Area. As a contractor, you can help residents make the switch and boost your business by sharing the benefits of electrification and directing your clients to available incentives.
What makes electric equipment better?
Most San Francisco homes use natural gas for heating, water heating, clothes drying and/or cooking, which creates indoor air pollution and contributes to climate change. Modern electric alternatives provide many benefits for residents:
- High performance: Electric appliances like heat pumps and induction stoves now offer the same or better performance than gas equipment, along with much higher efficiency.
- Health and safety: Electric appliances cannot explode and do not produce carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, and other harmful pollutants released by gas appliances.
- Comfort and resilience: Electric heat pumps provide year-round comfort by heating homes in the winter and cooling them in the summer, helping people adapt to the unpredictability of climate change.
- Climate benefits: Electrifying our buildings and vehicles will address the two biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions in San Francisco.
Why should contractors consider electrification?
New policies will shift the market toward electric solutions in just a few years.
Numerous incentives and rebates are currently available to encourage the transition to zero emissions appliances and equipment.
Many local customers will pay a premium for climate-friendly solutions and are looking for contractors that have the necessary skills to provide them.
Sales and technical training is available from many manufacturers and expert instructors
Resources for Contractors
- Get an overview of Tech Clean CA: www.switchison.org/techcleanca
- Enroll in the Clean Energy Pro Network: www.switchison.org/ca/pros
- Take the required trainings to access rebates & incentives: www.switchison.org/techcleanca/training
- Heat Pump Water Heater guidelines: www.peninsulacleanenergy.com/residential/home-electrification/heat-pump-water-heater-installation-guidelines/
- Service optimization guide
Components for home electrification
- Solar PV: Solar panels allow you to cut your energy bills by producing clean power on your own rooftop.
- Air-Source Heat Pump: Modern heat pumps are 3-4x as efficient as furnaces and can heat AND cool your home!
- Heat Pump Water Heater: Heat pump technology provides hot water much more efficiently than gas or old-fashioned electric water heaters.
- Induction Cooktop: Induction stoves outperform their gas counterparts in terms of cooking speed, temperature control, safety, and clean-up.
- Heat Pump Clothes Dryer: Heat pump dryers are easier to install than a regular dryer since they don’t require venting to the outdoors.
- Electric Vehicle Charging EVs can help to substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions and your carbon footprint. At home chargers allow for convenient and cost effective charging.
Help your customers take advantage of these incentives today!
