Closing the Electrification Affordability Gap - Planning an equitable transition away from

This report seeks to inform implementation of the Bay Area’s air quality standard by providing realistic estimates of the cost of upgrading to pollution-free heating equipment in the Bay Area and of the savings that low-income households can realize by taking advantage of current and soon-to- be-available incentives from the federal government, state government, and regional agencies. [...] As the first region in the nation to adopt a zero-pollution air quality standard for HVAC and water heating equipment, the Bay Area will set a precedent for the rest of the nation in implementation of the rules. [...] For rent-controlled housing, incentive programs should encourage projects that allow tenants to stay in the building or return after the retrofits, and these programs should cover enough of the upfront costs that the landlord isn’t pushed to sell the building, thereby triggering the Ellis Act and allowing evictions. [...] Who’s responsible: Building Standards Commission, Office of the State Fire Marshal, and Department of Housing and Community Development for California Electrical Code for residences; AHJs for interpretations of the code in their jurisdictions There are two pathways in the Electrical Code for determining the necessary panel and service capacity of homes. [...] The Bay Area faces an affordability crisis driven by decreasing incomes among the lowest 20% of households on the income scale and by a severe housing shortage.37 The household income for Black and Latinx households is just 73% to 74% of the overall median, pointing to a racial wealth gap.38 While about 60% of low-income households in the Bay Area rent, the remainder own their homes and pay direct.