Advocates for clean energy say installation of air-source or ground-source heat pumps would be best to use in the switch to electricity for heating, cooling and cooking. (Adobe Stock)
By Michayla Savitt, Public News Service (NY)
ALBANY, N.Y. – Groups in support of renewable energy are pushing for legislation and other initiatives to accelerate complete electrification of buildings in the state, as part of efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
Alliance for Clean Energy New York is among the advocates supporting the building-code bill that would phase in all-electrical appliances and heating. It passed in the state Senate but has yet to reach the Assembly floor.
ACE New York Executive Director Anne Reynolds said if the state is going to meet its climate goals, it has to accelerate its use of electricity in buildings.
“And it really comes down to making building electrification accessible and affordable for New Yorkers over time,” said Reynolds. “So that when we get to 2040, and 2050, that becomes the standard that all buildings have.”
Reynolds said a way to speed up the change to electric is to offer New Yorkers more incentives to install air-source heat pumps, and enforce possible energy-efficiency efforts into buildings.
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act of 2019 establishes that the state must operate at 100% zero-emission energy by 2040.
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