Save Our Stoves: More details
Energy choice is under attack. Urge legislators to oppose HB 1589 in any form. While this legislation is continuously changing, the ultimate goals are two-fold:
- Banning natural gas service to new construction; and
- Ending natural gas service to existing customers.
Tell the Legislature we can’t afford to shut off natural gas as an energy option.
- 68% of Americans want to make their own choices, preferring a mix of fossil fuels and renewable energy choices.
- Gas and electric utilities are obligated to serve consumers as a condition of being a monopoly with guaranteed profits. HB 1589 eliminates protections for Puget Sound Energy (PSE) natural gas customers by removing PSE’s obligation to serve these customers.
- This is essentially a natural gas ban once PSE decides to retire natural gas service.
- When PSE decides to stop natural gas service, the cost to convert a home from natural gas to fully electric falls on the homeowner. That’s an estimated $39,767 minimum.
- If homeowners can’t pay the cost of conversion, they will be forced to pay hundreds more on their utility bill as PSE socializes the costs moving forward.
- Currently, the proposal only provides financial assistance to low-income households, leaving most Washington households at risk of paying hundreds more per month.
- PSE acknowledges the push to electrify all homes will result in more emissions in the near term and won’t decrease unless more renewable resources are built.
- Until renewable resources become reliable and dependent energy sources, PSE will be allowed to continue converting natural gas into electricity.
- Because 2/3 of energy is lost during conversion and transmission to your home, customers will pay more for energy losses than actual energy, lowering the overall energy efficiency of electric appliances.