By TOM JOHNSON, NJ Spotlight
A state agency has crafted what it touts as a first step toward the large-scale transformation of New Jersey’s buildings, a plan to reduce emissions from the state’s second-largest source of global-warming pollution.
Building decarbonization — electrifying homes and commercial buildings — is perhaps the most contested climate strategy yet proposed by the Murphy administration. But it is seen as essential if New Jersey is to break its reliance on fossil fuels and convert to a clean-energy economy.
The strawman proposal produced by the state Board of Public Utilities offers a phased approach that directs the state’s four electric utilities to offer an array of programs encouraging customers to switch from using fossil fuels for heating spaces and warming water to electric heat pumps — energy-efficient alternatives to furnaces and air conditioners.
The four electric utilities would spend a total of $150 million during the three-year program, which would begin in 2024.
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