Homebuilders in California are finding out about new code requirements from the California Energy Commission encouraging electricity over natural gas in new construction. These proposed changes for 2022 include requiring electricity-ready gas appliances and installing electric heat pumps. Are you and your contractors ready for the changes?
How Fuel Type Impacts Your Subcontractors
Whether you choose natural gas or electric appliances in the homes you build matters to the contractors you hire. For instance, if your new homes will have natural gas provided to them, you need qualified plumbing contractors who can also work with gas lines. Plus, with new rules, homes with gas water heaters installed will still require the plumbing and electric outlets nearby to eventually replace those gas units with electric models.
Even if you choose electric appliances, you still need experts in plumbing installation to choose the most energy-efficient water heaters to meet modern standards for greener homes, demanded by both consumers and the government.
What About Preferred Products
What about industry-preferred products? For single-family homes, the ratio of gas to electric appliances in homes has remained stagnant between 2013 and 2020, while in multifamily homes, gas has increasingly become the preferred connection type to use for home heating, water heating, and cooking.
Where you will build makes a difference. For example, younger homebuyers want lower initial costs, which usually come with electric appliances. However, gas remains a popular option due to homeowners’ ability to get tankless water heaters installed, the majority of which require gas. These factors will play into whether you build an electric or electric-ready home with gas. They will also determine the contractors you hire for installing appliances, gas lines, and electricity.
Contact Plumbing Concepts for Flexible New Construction Plumbing Contractors
For flexible new construction plumbing contractors, contact us at Plumbing Concepts. Our teams have worked on thousands of Southern California residential projects over more than 35 years in the industry. We have experience working with the ever-changing building requirements in California and can install gas or electric plumbing appliances, as needed. Make us your primary choice when you need plumbing contractors for your construction projects.
Sources
https://www.energy.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2021-08/CEC_2022_EnergyCodeUpdateSummary_ADA.pdf
https://plumbingconcepts.com/services/new-construction/
https://plumbingconcepts.com/contact/
