Electrify DC!
End the use of dirty and dangerous fossil fuels for water heating, space heating, and cooking in our homes and buildings!
Building Electrification is Already Happening
The movement to create cleaner, healthier, all-electric new homes and buildings is lighting up the country. There are wins on electrification in California, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Washington, and Colorado as well as nearby Maryland. CCAN has a bold vision that DC will join their ranks and eventually become a leader. Building electrification would benefit community members by giving them access to cleaner air, healthier homes, good jobs, affordable clean energy, and energy efficiency to reduce monthly energy bills while helping the District meet its climate goals.
Burning Gas is Dirty and Dangerous
The Beyond Gas DC coalition recently found
methane leaks throughout the city!
Gas stoves release the same level of pollution as an idling car!
Living in a home with a gas stove increases a child’s risk of having asthma by
Our Three-Pronged Approach To Electrification in the District
Washington Gas Light Company (WGL) is currently proposing a $4.5 billion plan to replace all its gas infrastructure. That would lock us into fossil fuels for decades — long past what the DC law requires. We’re pressuring the Public Service Commission to reject this terrible plan.
Eight Councilmembers recently introduced the “Healthy Homes and Residential Electrification Amendment Act of 2023.” This is a great bill that would support up to 30,000 low- and moderate-income households to remove harmful methane burning appliances from their homes.
Helping DC Residents To Go Electric
Electrification Assistance for Every Income
Whatever their income, DC residents can access many different programs to help with utility bills and pay for home electrification. The most important thing you can do right now is sign up with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network to be contacted about free home electrification programs as soon as they become available. Then, click here to read more about the assistance available for low-income customers and initiatives that are not income dependent.
EXPLORE THE BENEFITS OF ELECTRIFICATION
Good For the Climate:
Buildings are the main driver of emissions in the District (72%)!
- Most buildings use fossil fuels like methane gas to heat rooms, heat water, and cook, which releases emissions.
- Gas also leaks as it makes its way from fracking wells in West Virginia and Pennsylvania to refineries and into buildings and homes.
- For 20 years after it is released, methane is 86 times more powerful a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide!
Good for your Health:
- .Gas stoves release several hazardous pollutants, notably nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and benzene.
- Any exposure to nitrogen dioxide can cause respiratory effects.
- Lower-income households may be at higher risk of exposure to gas stove pollution.
- Gas stoves leak climate-warming methane even when they’re off.
Gas stoves are a primary source of pollution inside the home. Electrification is the solution!
Did You Know?
Gas stoves are a primary source of combustion pollution inside the home, producing dangerous levels of air pollutants that would violate outdoor standards!
Good for Your Budget
- Washington Gas wants to raise rates by 20% a month PLUS $424 over five years to pay for new pipes (PROJECTpipes).
- WGL’s new infrastructure will become obsolete as the District moves toward electrification. So who will be left footing the $4.5-billion bill? Customers unable to switch to electricity, who can least afford the economic burden.
- On the other hand, electric appliances use less energy, often paying for themselves over time in lower energy costs.
- For DC residents, solar panels or a community solar subscription can offset the costs of electric bills by $500/year for solar panels or up to 50% immediately using community solar. Solar cannot offset your gas bill.
- All-electric new construction is more affordable to maintain than buildings that use fossil fuels.
Electrification is affordable: All-electric buildings are generally cheaper to build and lead to lower, more stable energy bills.
Take Action on 2 DC Electrification Campaigns:
Educational Resources
Works Cited:
- Neighborhood Researchers Find Hundreds of Methane Gas Leaks Across DC (2022).
- U.S. Energy Info. Admin., Winter Fuels Outlook, Oct. 2021
- RMI, Indoor Air Pollution: the Link between Climate and Health (2020)
- Stanford University Press Release, Stanford scientists find the climate and health impacts of natural gas stoves are greater than previously thought (2022).
Related News:
- Hundreds of gas leaks found in D.C. — some ‘potentially explosive,’ report says
- D.C. bill would offer incentives to switch from gas stoves to electric
- As D.C. Council Passes Ban on Gas in Most New Buildings, Climate Group Plans to Continue Campaign Against Washington Gas
- D.C. Moves To Ban Natural Gas In Most New Buildings, Aiming For Carbon Neutrality
