California’s Bay Area Air Quality Management District has voted to phase out the sale of new natural gas furnaces and water heaters in the nine-county Bay Area. The new rules will ban the sale of residential natural gas water heaters after 2027 and large commercial natural gas water heaters after 2031. The rules would ban the sale of natural gas furnaces after 2029. Â “The 1.8 million water heaters and furnaces in the Bay Area significantly impact our air quality, resulting in dozens of early deaths and a wide range of health impacts, particularly in communities of color,” said Philip Fine, the agency’s executive officer.
