Why do this when there isn’t that much new construction in Santa Barbara?

There are two main reasons why passing a natural gas prohibition for new buildings will have a large local impact, despite our City not having much new construction. First, buildings are long-term assets which essentially “lock-in” carbon emissions for long periods of time and over time their aggregated emissions are significant. Second, this ordinance will provide a strong market signal for the industry to invest in electric technologies and advance the occupant experience as the State transitions to all-electric buildings.