The state of New York (United States) will gradually prohibit the use of fossil fuels such as gas or diesel in cooking, heating and hot water systems in newly built homes starting in 2026.
Budget provisions that will enable a phased ban on fossil fuels and their substitution with renewable energy and electricity in new residential buildings were announced Tuesday, May 2, by New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and the President of the Energy Committee of this same legislative chamber, Didi Barrett.
The final approval of these actions to combat climate change and pollution is now pending the signature of the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, a decision that is expected immediately.
New York will thus become the first state in the United States to ban the use of fossil fuels for energy purposes in new buildings, a measure that New York City has already adopted and other states and cities in the United States are studying. In the case of the state of New York, the budget allocation announced Tuesday is included in the actions necessary to comply with the Climate Leadership and Environmental Protection Act (CLCPA) approved in 2019.
The new state budget of 229,000 million dollars, approved by Parliament on Tuesday, contemplates the creation of a Climate Action Fund to help the State in the energy transition towards cleaner and more sustainable sources -solar, wind- in order to comply its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050.
The ban on fossil fuels will go into effect throughout New York State in 2026 for new buildings under 7 stories and by 2029 for those taller. Gas and diesel, fuels that are now used by 3 out of 5 homes for cooking and heating in this state, must be replaced by electricity generated with renewable energy technologies.
The new regulations do not affect homes built before 2026, nor restaurants and essential infrastructure. However, it is not ruled out that the substitution will extend in the coming years in an equally staggered manner.
“Changing the ways we produce and use energy to decrease our dependence on fossil fuels will help ensure a healthier environment for us and our children,” said the Speaker of the New York Assembly. “In the enacted budget, we are taking important steps to reduce our state’s carbon emissions and move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, while also providing much-needed relief to taxpayers across New York State. â€, Didi Barrett has detailed.
Included in the approved budget is a provision that will help New York State move away from burning fossil fuels by phasing in electrical building requirements for new buildings to be all-electric starting in 2025.
The budget authorizes the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to build renewable energy projects to fill gaps in meeting CLCPA goals, create the Renewable Energy Access and Community Assistance program that would provide credits in bills to low- and moderate-income people. -enter customers in disadvantaged communities and maintain an adequate and reliable supply of electric power and energy.
