Building codes are wonky and dense. But they can slash emissions and pollutants. Cities and states can use arcane ordinances to push builders to go all-electric, which will help us all breathe easier. Building codes are one of the most powerful tools policymakers can use to fight climate change, improve public health, and save households money. States and cities across the US are revamping these often arcane ordinances to limit the use of fossil fuels in homes and workplaces. It’s an essential shift, as gas-powered appliances like furnaces and water heaters are a key component of global warming but rarely at the forefront of solutions. But most municipalities don’t have the resources to engage in the monthslong process of writing climate-aligned codes. That process can and should be easier. California's pioneeringBuilding Energy Efficiency Standards, incentivizes builders to go all electric and prioritizes heat-pump technology. These highly efficient devices are essentially reversible air conditioners that warm buildings during the winter and cool them during the summer using electricity. Heat-pump water heaters, meanwhile, can heat water two to four times as efficiently as a gas unit. Beyond the increased efficiency and built-in year-round comfort, all-electric buildings reduce carbon emissions, which is critical for meaningful climate action. The California Energy Commissionestimates that the heat-pump measures in California’s new code will reduce the state’s carbon dioxide emissions by more than 30,000 metric tons per year. Assuming every new building in the state adheres to this standard starting in 2023, that would create a cumulative reduction of 1.1 million metric tons of CO2 by 2030. Transitioning to efficient electric appliances also reduces other types of air pollution. A recentHarvard study estimates thatpollutants released by burning gas in buildings cause nearly 6,000 premature deaths per year nationwide. Gas appliances also create dangerous levels of contaminants indoors: According to a meta-analysis of more than four decades of peer-reviewed studies, children who grow up in a home with a gas stove are 42 percent more likely to experience asthma symptoms than those raised in a home with an electric stove. All-electric homes are also thousands of dollars cheaper to build than homes with gas, because less piping is required, and builders only need to install one HVAC system rather than a furnace and an air conditioner. Affordable housing developers support such construction because the savings allow them to build more units for the same cost. This, of course, hasn’t escaped the notice of trade associations like the American Gas Association and the American Public Gas Association, which have lobbied against all-electric building codesand tried to stymie efforts by states and cities and the International Code Council (ICC) to adopt them....read more          https://grist.org/fix/opinion/building-codes-can-slash-emissions-pollution/?utm_source=syndication&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-looking-forward-newsletter-archive-grist