Washington Passes First Statewide All-Electric Heating Mandate

Grist.org and the Spokane Spokesman-Review report the Washington State Building Code Council voted last week to adopt a revised energy code requiring most new commercial buildings and large multifamily buildings to install electric heat pumps to warm air and water, the first legislation of its kind nationally. The 

The code revision follows the state legislature's decision to target a 70% reduction in the amount of energy consumed by nonresidential buildings by 2031. 

While numerous cities and towns have already effectively banned gas in most new buildings, and California enacted a building code change last August strongly encouraging builders to install electric heating over gas, Washington is the first state to require electric heat pumps, though the code allows exceptions for hospitals, research facilities, and buildings where gas is required for “specific needs that cannot practicably be served by [a] heat pump.” 

Opponents of these policies in the gas industries say these emissions goals can be achieved by using lower-carbon fuels. In Washington, local builders' associations reportedly protested the construction challenge the code will impose. 

Similar proposals will be considered by the council over the next few months for the residential section of the state energy code. 

Read the Grist story at Grist.org and the Spokesman-Review coverage at Spokesman.com.