California homeowners affected by gas leak may get as much as $31,800 for electric appliance upgrades

The funds are aimed at creating healthier homes, reducing energy bills, adding cooling, and supporting local jobs by swapping out older gas appliances for more efficient electric models.

Homeowners in California impacted by the country’s largest recorded methane leak may be eligible for up to $31,800 to replace gas appliances with electric options, helping cut utility costs and limit exposure to indoor air pollution.

Key details

According to the Associated Press, an initial $20 million in settlement-backed incentives for Aliso Canyon is now available. The full program is expected to provide $40 million for electric stoves, water heaters, heat pumps that both warm and cool homes, and other appliances.

Owners of single-family houses in the affected area can apply first, and additional aid will be available for income-qualified residents to help pay for electric installations. Applications from owners of multiple properties will open later.

Evan Kamei, who heads TECH Clean California, the group helping distribute the money, said the program is about more than appliance replacement. He said the incentives “will help create healthier homes, lower energy costs, deliver cooling, and create local jobs by replacing aging gas appliances with efficient electric appliances.”

Background

The Associated Press reported that the 2015 blowout in the Los Angeles area released nearly 100,000 tons of methane, along with other substances, over more than 100 days. Thousands of families reported headaches, nausea and nosebleeds, and many residents left homes near the San Fernando Valley.

After a temporary shutdown and a finding that the site was safe, the storage facility resumed operations at reduced capacity. Methane traps heat in the atmosphere, adding to climate change and extreme weather.

In 2021, roughly 35,000 plaintiffs reached a settlement worth as much as $1.8 billion with the gas utility and its parent company over personal injuries and property damage.

One of them was Carol Kamei, Evan’s 72-year-old mother, who has lived near the facility for 46 years. She said she smelled gas and suffered nosebleeds, problems that ended after she stayed with her sister in Hollywood for three months.

Gas stoves, which are used by about 47 million households in the United States, emit nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to asthma, as well as benzene, a known carcinogen.

Weldon Kennedy, co-founder of California induction-stove startup Copper and head of marketing there, said his company joined the program after Energy Solutions pointed out how hard it can be to persuade people to switch cooking appliances.

“People have a cultural attachment to gas when it comes to cooking,” Kennedy said.

Copper’s induction stoves and ovens can be plugged into a standard outlet, avoiding the wiring expenses that often come with converting a kitchen from gas to electric.

Carol Kamei said she hopes to use the incentive money to replace her oven with an electric model. “I’d rather not use gas,” she said.

More information

Moving from gas to electric can involve installation costs, rebates and California’s changing appliance rules.

• A California homeowner found rebates could significantly reduce costs after getting a $7,000 quote for a water heater.
• California’s expanded rebates now include heat pumps and chargers, along with EVs and farm equipment.
• The state’s push for heat pumps includes training HVAC instructors to help prepare workers.
• Some Bay Area officials overseeing gas water heater restrictions still use gas themselves.
• California’s gas water heater rule attracted AI-generated public comments that some alleged authors said they never approved.