FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2023
Lawmakers and advocates push for historic climate bill package to prepare California buildings, homes for extreme heat
At a press conference at the Capitol Building, speakers emphasized urgent need to upgrade the state’s homes, buildings, and schools with clean energy technologies that cut pollution, increase access to cooling as extreme climate events become common
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Senator Josh Becker and Assemblymember Matt Haney joined climate advocates on the steps of the Capitol Building in triple digit heat this afternoon for a press conference launching a new campaign to pass the state’s most comprehensive package of climate legislation for buildings in state history, which will help ensure homes, buildings, and schools are climate-ready.
“As extreme weather wreaks havoc across the country, from wildfires in Maui to the heat gripping the nation, California needs to do everything in its power to cut the pollution that’s fueling the climate crisis, while ensuring communities are resilient in the face of its impacts. Upgrading homes and buildings with clean energy technologies like smart AC will meet both needs,” said California Senator Josh Becker.
Upgrade California – the new campaign from NRDC, Environment California, Institute for Market Transformation, Undaunted K-12, and Heat Pump Nation – includes a website and digital ad campaign in support of four bills that will lay the groundwork for the state to upgrade its built infrastructure to run on clean energy in the coming decades:
AB 593 (Haney): State strategy for climate-ready homes
SB 48 (Becker): Building performance standard for large buildings
SB 394 (Gonzalez): Master plan for climate-resilient schools
SB 410 (Becker): Speeding interconnections for accessing clean electricity
The campaign launch comes as the California Legislature enters the final weeks of session during a summer marked by the extreme heat, the most dangerous of extreme weather events. In California, roughly 25% of households lack access to cooling at home, which can pose a major health risk, especially for older people and children. The suite of legislation will help meet this gap in climate resilience by expanding access to smart AC – also known as heat pumps – which provide some of the most efficient cooling on the market.
“As temperatures rise with climate change, access to cooling at home can be lifesaving. But not all cooling is created equal, and the reality is our technology choices could very well make or break our climate targets. This suite of legislation will lay the groundwork to help ensure Californians gain access to the smart AC units, or heat pumps, for some of the most efficient cooling available,” said Merrian Borgeson, Director, California Policy, Climate & Clean Energy Program, NRDC.
Heat pumps are considered a silver bullet technology in the fight against climate change because in addition to providing efficient cooling, they also provide heating without fossil fuels. According to an analysis from RMI, upgrading a home with a heat pump cuts pollution from space heating by 72% in the first year, and 93% over the equipment’s 15-year lifespan, compared to heating with gas.
To meet California's climate targets, the state will need to move much more quickly to upgrade its built infrastructure with heat pumps and other clean energy technologies. While pollution from California’s other major sources has fallen significantly over the past two decades, emissions from commercial buildings increased a whopping 51%, and emissions from homes ticked down just 3%.
“This is California’s first comprehensive package of bills to actually address the problem of emissions from buildings,” said Assemblymember Haney. “With extreme heat and forest fires now happening every year it can’t come soon enough. Homes and buildings are California's most overlooked source of emissions but I’m optimistic that the growing partnership between lawmakers, technology companies, climate advocates, and labor, is going to change that.”
Targeting California’s schools for clean energy upgrades is especially important in a state where many students lack basic necessities like cooling in classrooms. Research links qualities of a school’s built environment, such as moderate indoor temperatures and properly filtered air, to improved student engagement, concentration, and performance. SB 394 will ensure California develops a master plan to upgrade its schools to be climate-ready for healthier learning environments.
“California’s schools should serve as a refuge for children during climate emergencies like heat waves and wildfires – not as another place where they are exposed to extreme heat and wildfire smoke. We need state leadership to ensure students of color, students in low wealth communities, rural communities, and small districts have equitable access to healthy learning environments,” said Jonathan Klein, Co-Founder, UndauntedK12.
Helios Climate Industries, a heat pump startup focused on bringing down the cost of heat pump installations, joined lawmakers and climate advocates at the press conference to uplift the role strong policy can play in spurring market development. The technology company is one of many that have launched in recent years as part of the growing movement for clean energy homes, focused on developing innovative solutions to improve customer experience, and bringing new products to market.
“This is California’s opportunity to do what it did for the electric car, but for homes. With bills like these, the state can help get superior technologies into homes, while creating jobs and economic investment across the state,” said Jeremy Osborne, a founder of Helios Climate Industries.
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