A new report from the Greenlining Institute and California’s Energy Efficiency for All coalition provides a framework for equitable building electrification in California.
The report claims that moving away from using fossil fuels such as gas in buildings will help low-income Californians – as long as policies are designed with them in mind.
To that end, the report provides a five-step framework on how equitable electrification can be achieved.
It includes assessing community needs, establishing community-led decision-making, developing metrics, ensuring funding, and improving outcomes.
The report’s authors say that the gas industry is pushing the message that building electrification will be bad for low-income residents.
Carmelita Miller, one of the report’s authors, disagrees. She says that building electrification can actually lead to greater affordability for working families.
Miller: “We're arguing that it must all start with amplifying community voices and integrating community input in decision-making processes to make sure that building electrification actually addresses real problems and needs of our residents.”
The full report is available at greenlining.org.
