SACRAMENTO—Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation by Senator Josh Becker on Friday to make it easier and less costly for property owners who want to power their homes with electricity so they can reduce or eliminate use of fossil fuels.
California was successful in its campaign to reach 1 million solar roofs and now this is the first step in the new campaign to reach 1 million all-electric buildings.
“State policy should encourage the voluntary actions of building owners who want to replace fossil-fuel-powered equipment and vehicles. We need people to be making these changes and we should make it easier for them to do so – my Senate Bill 68 does that,” said Senator Becker, D-Peninsula, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on the Clean Energy Future and is vice chair of the Legislature’s Committee on Climate Change Policies.
“When building owners want to install electric heating, vehicle charging, solar or energy storage, they often face unnecessarily high costs, delays in getting permits, and difficulty finding contractors familiar with these new technologies,” he said. “Reducing these barriers is crucial for achieving the state’s climate and air quality goals.”
SB 68 calls for supporting technology development through the California Energy Commission’s EPIC program. The legislation signed by the Governor also directs the Energy Commission to research and publish best practices so that electrification can be accomplished more efficiently by all stakeholders involved in the process.
SB 68 received bipartisan support in both houses and was supported by more than two dozen climate action organizations The new law takes effect on January 1, 2022.
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Media Contact: Bryan King, bryan.king@sen.ca.gov, 209-678-8460