Like Bob Dylan, Upstate New York Wants To Go All-Electric

My father is a chef, and a pretty darn good one at that. He knows more about the art of cooking than anyone else I know, and he's adamant on one thing over everything else: gas stoves.

When I told him that my new place in New York's Capital Region had a gas stove, he was ecstatic, but that joy may not last much longer.

The New York All-Electric Building Plan

Starting on January 1st, 2026, New York State is implementing a plan to make all new buildings electric only, meaning appliances and heating cannot use gas. This applies to any new building seven stories or shorter, and commercial buildings with over 100,000 square feet of conditioned floor area.

For those of you who currently live or work in a gas building, don't worry! This change only applies to new buildings. Pre-existing gas buildings will be left the way they are, even if renovations come through.

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Why are We Doing This?

The answer is simple: Climate Change. Greenhouse gas emissions have been killing the planet, and a whopping 32% of them in New York come just from buildings. Burning fossil fuels drastically speeds up the timeline for global warming, and as the fourth most populated state in the U.S., it's paramount we do something to slow the process down.

A graph showing Global Warming's impact through the years, Courtesy of NASA.gov

Unfortunately, a recent study found that this isn't in the public eye. Only about 14% of New York residents reported their knowledge of the law, and those that are are skeptic about affordability and reliability.