Study finds all-electric reconstruction of California’s fire-ravaged towns, compared with “dual-fuel” rebuilding with electricity and natural gas, is cheaper, faster, healthier and safer.
A new report from the University of California, Berkeley, outlines key practical reasons for fire-razed communities of Southern California to rebuild themselves on an all-electric footing, rather than combining electricity and natural gas as in the past.
The report titled “A Cost-Effective, Fast, and Sustainable Fire Recovery in Los Angeles: Considerations for Rebuilding All-Electric vs. to a Dual-Fuel Standard,” published by UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, makes no mention of solar. But appeals for all-electric redevelopment pose implications for solar, especially rooftop generation, because of its potential to curtail higher electric utility bills.
The center undertook the study and resulting report in the wake of virulent wildfires that are estimated to have destroyed or damaged upwards of 15,000 mostly residential structures, particularly in Altadena, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Pasadena and Topanga.
The report concludes that rebuilding fire-scorched communities on an all-electric basis would be “faster, healthier, safer and more cost-effective than rebuilding with gas,” according to a news release emailed from the center.
The report characterizes all-electric rebuilding as the most resilient option for the disaster-ravaged communities. Its most salient findings, according to the release, are that all-electric reconstruction, compared with dual-fuel rebuilding:
- Costs about $9,000 less per home.
- Unfolds faster because it eliminates time for gas-line installation, connections and mandatory safety testing.
- Lowers homeowner utility bills, netting savings of up to $540 a year each.
- Improves health and safety by reducing wildfire and carbon-dioxide risks and eliminating indoor air pollution from gas appliances.
With its findings, the organization aims to influence rebuilding policy recommendations from Los Angeles County’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire Safe Recovery, which is scheduled to release its guidance in June.
The report also endorses an initiative of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, known as Executive Order No. 5, that aims to streamline permitting for all-electric reconstruction. It also calls on other policymakers to back further measures to promote “more resilient and affordable recovery, including incentive expansions and technical assistance for low- and middle-income households,” according to the release.
