New York Finalizes Rule for New Buildings to Be Electric

Dozens
of
large
housing
construction
projects
along
the
Gowanus
Canal
in
Brooklyn,
New
York
City
on
Dec.
24,
2024.
Andrew
Lichtenstein
/
Corbis
via
Getty
Images

New
York
is
now
the
first
state
in
the
U.S.
to
require
new
buildings
to
be
built
entirely
electric,
without
hookups
to
fossil
fuels
including
gas,
the

New
York
State
Assembly
reported.

The
rule
was
initially
passed
in
2023
as
the
All-Electric
Buildings
Act
and
was
finalized
with
the
State
Fire
Prevention
and
Building
Code
Council’s
approval
in
late
July
2025.

According
to
the
new
mandate,
residential
buildings
up
to

seven
stories
tall
and
commercial
or
industrial
buildings
up
to
100,000
square
feet
with
building
permit
applications
for
initial
construction
approved
on
or
after
Dec.
31,
2025
will
be
required
to
meet
the
requirements
by
that
date.

Commercial
and
industrial
buildings

over
100,000
square
feet
will
need
to
meet
the
requirements
by
2029,
Canary
Media
reported.

New
York
just
became
the
first
state
to
bar
fossil
fuels
in
most
new
buildings.
It’s
a
win
for
the
climate
and
a
win
for
owners’
utility
bills.

[image
or
embed]

—
Canary
Media
Inc.
(@canarymedia.com)

July
31,
2025
at
10:33
AM

These
requirements
are
meant
to
curb
emissions
from
the
built
environment,
as
buildings
account
for

31%
of
all
emissions
in
New
York.

There
will
be
some
exemptions,
including
for
agricultural
building,
medical
facilities,
crematoriums,
laboratories,
restaurants
and
other
specific
facility
types
that
meet
certain
criteria.

The
finalization
of
the
rule
follows
a
court
decision
earlier
in
July,
where
the
U.S.
District
Court
of
the
Northern
District
of
New
York
ruled
that
the
state
could
move
forward
enacting
the
2023
All-Electric
Building
Act.
Building
and
fossil
fuel
groups
had
previously
challenged
the
act
using
the
same
argument
that
helped

overturn
the
ban
on
gas
in
new
buildings
in
Berkeley,
California.

“The
fossil
fuel
industry
was
sent
a
powerful
message
by
the
court
in
this
case
—
the
health,
well-being,
affordability,
and
prosperity
of
our
communities
matters
more
than
the
industry’s
profits
and
the
hollowness
of
its
fear
mongering,”
Dawn
Wells-Clyburn,
executive
director
of
PUSH
Buffalo,

said
in
a
statement.
“The
AEBA
remains
a
powerful
victory
in
the
fight
for
our
lives.”

The
New
York
act
could
still
face
legal
challenges,
as
industry
groups
have
requested
for
the
U.S.
Department
of
Justice
to
block
it
from
taking
effect,
Canary
Media
reported.

For
now,
the
act
remains
in
place
and
could
reduce
energy
usage
in
New
York
homes
by
about

17%,
saving
residents
nearly
$5,000
per
household
over
30
years.
According
to
the
New
Buildings
Institute,
building
decarbonization
in
the
state
of
New
York
could
even
save
money
in
the
construction
of
some
buildings,
leading
to
around

$7,500
to
$8,200
in
savings
for
building
100%
electric
single-family
homes
compared
to
conventional
single-family
homes.

“When
New
Yorkers
come
together…
we
can
win
even
in
the
face
of
opponents
with
an
almost-limitless
budget,”
Alex
Beauchamp,
Northeast
region
director
at
Food
&
Water
Watch,
told
Canary
Media.
​“That
is
how
we
won
this
bill.
It’s
also
how
we
are
going
to
continue
the
fight
to
get
fossil
fuels
out
of
all
the
existing
buildings
in
the
state.” 

New
York
becomes
first
state
to
commit
to
all-electric
new
buildings.
The
state
finalized
rules
ensuring
most
new
edifices
will
install
electric
heat
pumps
and
stoves
instead
of
gas
appliances,
lowering
costs
and
improving
air
quality.
grist.org/energy/new-y…
#NewYork
#NY
#Climate
#Buildings

[image
or
embed]

—
Grist
(@grist.org)

August
4,
2025
at
11:49
AM

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