Despite becoming law, New York is delaying implementation of the All-Electric Buildings Act. The law requires all-electric cooking and heating systems for new buildings under seven stories by 2026 and 2029 for taller buildings. However, the state is pausing implementation until a U.S. District Court rules on an appeal of a lawsuit challenging the law.
Allison Considine, interim New York policy and campaigns director with the Building Decarbonization Coalition, said this delay creates consumer uncertainty.
“With the Trump tariffs driving up the cost of new construction, rising oil and gas prices, the last thing consumers need is more uncertainty, and any kind of slow-walking of this provision, which is going to deliver bill savings for the people in these homes and make it more affordable,” she explained.
Some New York Republican lawmakers see the delay as a time to reconsider the state’s energy future. Sen. Patrick Gallivan, R-Alden, said the All-Electric Buildings Act will limit consumer choice, increase construction costs and add strain to the state’s electric grid. But reports show new buildings with all-electric systems have lower energy bills than those with fossil fuel systems.
Misinformation and misconceptions made passing the All-Electric Buildings Act a challenge, although it was approved in 2023. But, two years later, the stakes are higher since a judge ruled New York has to abide by certain provisions of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Considine said this law is a key part of the state’s clean-enercogy transition.
“The greatest savings and the least disruption comes from starting with the new, not digging our hole deeper in terms of entrenching even more reliance on dirty fossil fuels, and sending even more money to the fossil-fuel industry and the propane industry,” she said.
New York is the only state with a law requiring all-electric construction, while California and Washington State have building code requirements for new construction to have all-electric appliances.
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.