As gas water heater ban nears, Corte Madera climate panel drafts a messaging campaign

The Climate Action Committee spent much of Tuesday's meeting preparing for a regional rule that would end the era of the gas water heater. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is moving toward requiring zero-NOx (electric heat pump) replacements for gas furnaces and water heaters, and the committee wants Corte Madera residents to understand the change before it lands.

“The rules only apply to furnaces and water heaters. Nothing else. They only apply to new appliances. Many homes can be electrified without a panel upgrade. You won't be left without hot water. Rebates incentives are available.”— Karen, Climate Action Committee member · ▶ Watch this exchange

Committee member Karen laid out the basics for anyone worried about a sweeping mandate: "The rules only apply to furnaces and water heaters. Nothing else. They only apply to new appliances," she said, adding that many homes can be electrified without an electrical panel upgrade, that no one will be left without hot water, and that rebates and incentives are available.

Jody Tims, chair of the Fairfax Climate Action Committee, gave the group a timeline: the air district's final vote comes November 4, and "at the moment the proposal looks like it's going to be that this start date would be January 2028."

The Corte Madera committee plans to hold its messaging until the rule is official, then move fast — newsletter posts, social media, and possibly a postcard mailer or op-ed are all on the table.