Legislation that would help 30,000 low-income households upgrade their homes with clean energy, deliver cleaner air and lower energy bills passed unanimously on crucial first vote
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Healthy Homes Act cleared the first of two critical votes before the DC Council, bringing it one step closer to full passage. The legislation, which would help stabilize energy bills and deliver cleaner air by enabling 30,000 low- and middle-income District households to retrofit their homes with highly efficient electric equipment, is already fully funded through DC’s Sustainable Energy Trust Fund.
“A city where every household can afford to heat and cool their homes free from the health-harming pollution of fossil fuels is a healthier, safer, and more resilient city for all of us. The Healthy Homes Act is critical to safeguarding Black homeownership, but in order to deliver that economic justice, we must get this legislation across the finish line, fully funded ,” said Pastor André Greene of Varick Memorial AME Zion Church and Washington Interfaith Network.
The Healthy Homes Act will save residents money and help retain and grow Black homeownership, while accelerating Mayor Bowser’s Carbon Free DC plan to “begin phasing out fossil gas and fuel oil systems from existing buildings” and to ensure that by 2040 “90% of all homes and buildings are fully fossil fuel free.”
“We know from testing hundreds of kitchens around the District and the region, that gas-burning kitchens produce nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants that make it harder to breathe for both young and old,” said Joelle Novey, Director of Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVa). “For all that has breath, we need to electrify DC, starting with the homes of our most-impacted neighbors. We look forward to the Healthy Homes Act passing swiftly before the full DC Council and to working with the executive branch to ensure it is effectively implemented.”
The Healthy Homes Act can help deliver cleaner air for tens of thousands of DC residents.
Children living in homes with gas stoves have a 42% higher risk of developing asthma symptoms, and the pollution that is vented outside homes from gas heating equipment can lead to the formation of ozone pollution and smog, which can trigger asthma attacks and shortness of breath in the short term while leading to long term respiratory, cardiovascular, and developmental harm. DC has the highest asthma prevalence of any U.S. city, with more than 10% of District residents having asthma diagnosis More than 70% of the nearly 16,000 children in DC with asthma are Black.
“Today, the DC Council voted to enable thousands of DC households to lower their utility bills and improve indoor air quality by moving away from burning fossil fuels in their homes,” said Mark Rodeffer, the Sierra Club’s National Building Electrification Campaign Co-lead. “Thanks to funding already set aside through the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund, this legislation is fully funded. The Bowser administration must safeguard this funding to ensure that DC residents can enjoy the benefits of lower utility bills and less pollution in their homes.”
The Healthy Homes Act would build on a $2 million pilot awarded to the River Terrace and Deanwood neighborhoods to help residents retrofit their homes, including measures to increase energy efficiency and weatherization, and swap out gas appliances with electric alternatives such as heat pumps and induction stoves.
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Beyond Gas DC is a coalition of interfaith, housing, and climate advocates working to ensure that clean and affordable energy is available to all DC residents. We advocate for building electrification to lower household utility bills, improve indoor air quality and public health, and cut climate pollution.
