Campaign for Fossil Free Buildings
In Silicon Valley
Success Phasing Out Fossil Fuels in
New Construction!
Participating Cities & Counties
- Since 2019, 25 Cities & 2 Counties in Silicon Valley have adopted Policies to Avoid Gas Use in New Homes & Buildings (through “Reach Codes” & Gas Bans), including: Brisbane, Burlingame, Campbell, Cupertino, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Redwood City, Saratoga, San Carlos, San Jose, the City of San Mateo, the City of Santa Clara, South San Francisco, and Sunnyvale, plus San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.
- Find out about what our Campaign accomplished last year: 2021 Year In Review
- In 2022, we continue to support more cities adopting Reach Codes and gas bans, as we turn to existing homes & buildings to phase out gas.
- Stay up to date on all cities and counties in California with reach codes & gas bans, with this California Building Decarbonization Coalition status table here.
Partners
Our Campaign seeks climate, environmental, and social justice NGOs, community groups, and green building stakeholders who share the Fossil Free Buildings goal to join the campaign.
Our Focus
Elements of our Campaign
In California, the Building Decarbonization Coalition is supporting a number of policies that promote all electric, carbon free buildings. We invite local partners to join us to advance the following policies, as one of the most impactful climate measures that Silicon Valley cities can take, focusing first on preventing new buildings from becoming natural gas dependent.
Learn more by clicking on a topic below.
Adopt “Reach” Energy Codes that Lead New Construction to be All Electric, avoiding new gas connections.
is supporting a number of policies that promote all electric, carbon free buildings. We invite local partners to join us to advance the following policies, as one of the most impactful climate measures that Silicon Valley cities can take, focusing first on preventing new buildings from becoming natural gas dependent.
Design Zero Carbon Standards through City Planning & Zoning Updates
Significant outreach will be required to city elected officials and staff, developers, design firms, community members, and other interested stakeholders. A number of resources will be developed to support the policy goals
Community Outreach
Our campaign will work with city officials and staff, developers, design firms, community members, and other interested stakeholders to help educate people about clean, new electric technology. We will share examples of all electric homes and buildings, and provide demos and open house opportunities to show case electric equipment.
Develop Strategies to Retrofit Existing Buildings & Fund Electrification
Cities have additional tools and strategies that can help support electrification of existing buildings. For instance, Beneficial Electrification (BE) entails replacing fossil-fueled devices with their ultra-efficient electric counterparts
Health & Environmental Impacts of Fossil Gas
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- Learn Ten Truths About Natural Gas
- UCLA School of Public Health Study Effects of residential Gas Appliances on Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality and Public Health in California
- The impact of gas stoves on indoor air pollution and public health
- CA Air Resources Board webpage on Pollution from Gas Cookstoves
Other Resources
- Electrification FAQ
- Factsheet on Building Electrification from Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
- Induction Cooking Fact Sheet
- The Costs and Savings of going All-Electric Infographic
- Peninsula Reach Codes Website with additional Resources
- A crowdsourced spreadsheet listing contractors who can install electric heaters, WHs & appliances
- Building Electrification Action Plan for Climate Leaders by Sierra Club
- Natural Gas Infographic
- Sonoma Clean Power Advanced Energy Center
- Silicon Valley Clean Energy eHub to help you go All-Electric
Our Partners
Partners need only support the goal of the campaign. They can also participate in regular strategic planning calls and meetings, join outreach actions, help research and develop support materials, and create subcommittees to pursue related actions. Partners may not profit from or receive any gifts from fossil fuel companies or related entities.
