Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As New York State looks to put an end to gas appliances in new builds later this decade and get even more aggressive in 2030 and beyond, there are concerns from those in the energy industry the moves may be costly and the state's consumers aren't ready for a switch.
In Buffalo this past weekend, New York Governor Kathy Hochul dug-in when WBEN pressed her on the deadlines. "Yes," she responded, when asked if those deadlines will hold.
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Chris Tryjankowski of the NYS Plumbing, Heating & Cooling Contractors Association says he has no trouble with energy efficiency, but he is concerned about the timing. "What we're against is the speed at what we're doing it we don't feel we're prepared," says Tryjankowski. He cites the blizzard in December. "The infrastructure isn't prepared to handle converting from gas to all electric. Think about the number of people who didn't have electric and couldn't heat their homes at all, so it would have been a bad situation if everybody had been converted," he adds.
Tryjankowski says while the state wants to ban gas appliances from new builds starting in 2025, you could milk a gas furnace for 30 years or more. So it could take a very long time to actually convert it. "The question is, are they going to actually eliminate the the availability of gas for homeowners and consumers as a choice," notes Tryjankowski.
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Tryjankowski says this issue is only coming out now, but he's been fighting it for a couple of years. "One of the things we're trying to do is, is get the consumer more aware, and start letting your your lawmakers know that, you're not happy about this choice, and you want it to be reconsidered, and you want the you're advocating for choice," advises Tryjankowski.
Gary Marchiori of Energy Mark says this won't be a ban on gas appliances already in use. "You won't have to replace an existing unit, and you can still repair it and keep it. But however, when you go for for replacement, you're gonna have to look at a new technology," says Marchiori.
Cost is a big concern. Marchiori says a conversion of a existing natural gas and electric cooling system can be 20 to $30,000, depending on the technology chosen. He adds there's also been a debate over natural gas cooking and use of natural gas ovens. "However, nothing in place to ban or prohibits that use, and a direct government study, most natural gas ranges are not a significant contributor to adverse indoor quality, indoor air quality," adds Marchiori.
New York State proposes by 2025, newly construction homes will require geothermal or electric heat pump systems for heating, and primarily electric driven systems for heating and cooling.