All-Electric Major Renovations Ordinance Unanimously Passes Land Use & Transportation Committee

***PRESS RELEASE*** 

All-Electric Major Renovations Ordinance Unanimously Passes Land Use & Transportation Committee

New legislation builds upon the 2020 All-Electric New Construction Ordinance to improve the health, safety, resilience, and climate of the City.

San Francisco, CA – Today, the All-Electric Major Renovations Ordinance, sponsored by Board President Rafael Mandelman and co-sponsored by Supervisors Fielder, Melgar, and Mahmood, passed unanimously out of the Land Use & Transportation Committee. The legislation updates Supervisor Mandelman’s All-Electric New Construction Ordinance and continues his commitment to a safer, healthier, and more sustainable City by ensuring major renovation building projects go all-electric and reduce emissions. The measure will be heard tomorrow (7/29) as a Committee Report at the Board of Supervisors. 

“We can’t build the San Francisco of the future with fuel from the past,” said Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman. “This legislation picks up where we left off with the All-Electric New Construction ordinance and affords us the opportunity to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in our existing buildings, improve indoor and outdoor air quality, and make San Francisco a safer, healthier, and more resilient place to live and work. Choosing clean energy is how we build the clean, all-electric City of the future,”  

Building operations are responsible for nearly half of San Francisco’s emissions. Most of these emissions stem from the combustion of methane, more commonly referred to as natural gas, in existing buildings. Natural gas is a fossil fuel just like oil. It is a super pollutant that is 83 times more effective at trapping heat in our atmosphere than C02. The combustion of this super pollutant —for heating, cooling, and other building functions—poses significant threats to humans and the planet. In addition to impacts on respiratory and cardiovascular health, natural gas-powered fixtures  further exacerbate the climate crisis, increase the risk of fire during earthquakes, and take significantly longer to get back up and running after seismic events.   

“This ordinance protects the health and safety of San Franciscans by phasing out outdated gas systems in major renovations,” said Tyrone Jue, Director of the San Francisco Environment Department. “It reduces indoor air pollution, strengthens building safety, and ensures our infrastructure is ready for a cleaner, more resilient future. And as we make our homes safer, we’re also cutting the pollution that fuels the climate crisis because in San Francisco protecting people and protecting the planet go hand in hand.” 

Mechanical systems in existing buildings are customarily upgraded or replaced for many reasons, including  deterioration, building expansion, energy efficiency improvements, or building conversions. Replacing gas-powered mechanical systems with all-electric when those systems are outdated or failing, and as part of a major renovation, is the most efficient and inexpensive way to transition existing buildings to electric.  By requiring buildings undergoing major renovations, a very high bar in the building code, to be rebuilt all-electric, the new ordinance helps San Francisco electrify in the most cost-effective way.  

“This ordinance makes good on the city’s commitment to the climate and public health by tackling a major source of pollution and emissions,” said Sam Fishman, SPUR’s sustainability and resilience policy manager. “The ordinance will ensure that buildings are electrified in a smart and planned fashion, and is a major step in increasing the pace of decarbonization in San Francisco in a cost-effective way.”  

San Francisco is already going all-electric. The City’s successful Climate Equity Hub has completed 26 projects/installs and has 45 in progress , targeting lower-income families with cost-free electric appliance installations. Affordable housing projects like Casa Adelante, Maceo May, 400 China Basin, and Transbay 2 West senior housing have been built all-electric, providing community with healthier, safer, all-electric buildings. And the renovation of a small residential project in the Mission District by the Mission Economic Development Association (MEDA) has replaced gas appliances with all-electric ones in both the existing building and in the new additions.  In fact, throughout the State, the vast majority of new construction projects are all-electric.  

“The Sierra Club supports Board President Mandelman’s All-Electric Major Renovations Ordinance. Nearly half of the City’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings and so this ordinance contains a significant opportunity to address a major source of emissions in San Francisco, said Charles Whitfield, Chair of the San Francisco Group, San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Building electrification can help solve some of the nation’s top challenges—lowering air pollution, improving resilience during extreme weather and earthquakes and dramatically reducing greenhouse gas pollution. We urge the passage of this important ordinance for both for the health of San Francisco residents and for the sake of the climate.” 

The ordinance is the result of over two years of planning and outreach. Engaged stakeholders include the Building Operations Task Force, developers, nonprofits, tenants’ right organizations, contractors, unions, and professional/housing associations. The Committee’s vote moves the City one step closer to electrifying all of San Francisco’s buildings, which is key to San Francisco meeting its ambitious goal of net zero emissions by 2040. The ordinance would take effect starting in July 2026. 

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