They lost their homes to fire. Now they're rebuilding with all-electric.
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No one is forcing fire survivors in Altadena and Pacific Palisades to rebuild their new homes all-electric.But many of them want to, for health reasons, cost savings, or because they’re worried about climate change.Burning gas and propane for cooking, water heating and space heating in California homes and businesses creates 10% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.
It also releases pollutants indoors.That’s why, in recent years, state policy has pushed toward electrification, and about 39% of new homes in California in 2024 went in without gas lines.Only 8% of all homes were all-electric in 2020.
Yet after last year’s fires, Gov.Gavin Newsom waived a 2025 building code that strongly encouraged electric heat pumps in new construction, allowing residents in the burn zones to build back to older, less efficient standards.
The city of L.A.also waived a requirement that new homes be all-electric.
Climate experts called these rollbacks a missed opportunity.Early figures show 1,300 residents have already have applied for reconnections through SoCalGas, which serves most of Los Angeles.
Yet some determined groups of neighbors are building all-electric anyway, even without the requirements.Here are some of their reasons: Leo Cheng is part of a group of about 10 Eaton fire survivors working together to build passive homes in Altadena.A passive house is airtight and highly insulated, designed to reduce the need for air conditioning and heating to the highest extent possible.
Cheng, who previously lived in a home with a gas stove, furnace and water heater, became interested in the concept when he learned that it could keep out more smoke and toxic ash during a fire.He sees passive homes as going hand in hand with all-electric appliances, because “with airtight construction, having a gas stove in the house especially doesn’t make sense” for indoor air quality.Cheng was...