California promotes building electrification

New codes would encourage developers to integrate small-scale batteries into new commercial structures

The California Energy Commission is proposing new rules that would strongly favour the electrification of new buildings, boosting solar and in-house storage and reducing demand for natural gas. The new codes still have to be approved by the state’s Building Standards Commission. But many of the ideas have already been embraced by a number of the state’s cities as a broader move against new natural gas for heating gains momentum.   If enacted, the codes would focus on disincentives, rather than outright bans, to encourage developers to create electric hookups for appliances in new domestic structures and to integrate small-scale batteries in new commercial structures. The rules follow a previ