The San Francisco area’s drive to ban gas appliances amid power outages is “pure extremist politics,” the CEO said.

Homeowners and builders are calling a possible ban on certain gas appliances in the San Francisco Bay Area as an extreme move, forcing a region prone to power outages to rely even more on overloaded power supplies.

“This is just pure extremist politics taken to the extreme,” said Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders. “If you talk to anyone in California, it’s obvious that their electrical grid won’t be able to handle the current summer load, and you’re going to increase it by making every car, every oven, every air conditioner, every refrigerator, every stove electric. electric?”

“Once you start insisting that gas is bad, it will give a boost to all these extremists who choose to ignore the facts and follow an agenda that will only make more people pay too much for their housing or, God forbid, more homeless people.” in an area that is already devastated by the homeless,” he continued.

BASIC APPLIANCES BANNING PROPOSAL COULD COST CONSUMERS THOUSANDS OF:

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The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is considering two rules that would ban the sale and installation of water heaters, boilers and stoves that emit nitrogen oxide, which regulators say can cause asthma and other health problems. The move will effectively ban gas versions of these appliances, meaning only those that run on electricity will be allowed.

More than 100,000 customers in the Bay Area lost power last week due to a cold front with strong winds that caused downed power lines and outages, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In addition, according to the California Electric Commission, California cannot meet its current demand and imported 30% of its electricity from sources outside the state in 2021.

PG&E workers at a substation where a fire earlier in the day caused power outages in parts of Oakland, California on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

“It’s a condition where the electrical grid is already overloaded,” Howard told Fox News. “Builders will have to invest in new equipment for the more expensive unit, again pushing up the cost for consumers.”

The California power grid operator last summer warned residents of possible power outages due to extreme heat and high demand for energy. The operator also asked residents not to charge their electric vehicles over Labor Day weekend last year to avoid overloading power supplies during a heatwave.

All of the Bay Area cities of San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley and Menlo Park have already passed legislation limiting gas connections, with a few exceptions.

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Bay Area residents wrote emails and letters expressing concern and support for the proposals during the public comment period. More than 90 comments have been submitted online, many disagreeing that high-cost consumers will pay to upgrade their homes to accommodate high-voltage electrical appliances after their gas appliances fail.

Berkeley, California was the first community in the country to enact a ban on new natural gas infrastructure. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“I would have had to gut my house and live elsewhere while the contractors are working,” wrote Jennifer Huber of Contra Costa County. “If I could find a contractor.”

Oakland resident Lawrence Jensen said: “These proposed rule changes will hurt the lives of ordinary people (the rich won’t have trouble adjusting, they never adjust).”

According to Howard, the cost of equipment and installation for an electric water heater and an electric furnace cost more than gas-fired appliances.

Howard told Fox News, “It’s $3,000 for new hardware and then $7,000 if you need to upgrade the panel and all.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order requiring all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. (Associated Press)

Approximately 66% of households in the Bay Area will be affected if the proposal is passed, according to the Air District.

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“Many homeowners in the Bay Area live monthly, starving,” Howard said.

“There has to be a good reason to put such expenses on them, and I can’t find a reason anywhere for this,” he continued. “But that’s the way it is, I think, in California.”

To watch Howard’s full interview, click here.

Ramiro Vargas contributed to this video.