As advocates celebrate the New York City Council vote to pursue an electrification ordinance in the city, New Yorkers should be wary. The move to ban the use of affordable and reliable natural gas when constructing new businesses and residential buildings will have massive impacts on energy costs and grid stability.

Forced Electrification Means Higher Costs

Proponents of electrification in New York have cited the need to reduce emissions as a key reason for the new mandate, but it doesn’t consider how that electricity is generated.

Currently, New York’s electricity comes from a mix of natural gas power plants, nuclear, hydropower, and renewables. The resulting increase in electricity demand will only increase the need for natural gas for electricity generation that will be then be sold to consumers at nearly four times the cost of using natural gas directly in buildings.

New Yorkers already pay 40 percent above the national average for electricity, and that cost is especially pronounced if you live in NYC’s older and less energy-efficient buildings. A preliminary analysis of data from NYC’s Department of Buildings shows that more than half of the city’s buildings receive a C or D rating for energy efficiency.

Read the full blog post at EIDClimate.org.