Menlo Spark releases new report on the benefits of electrification

Menlo Spark has released a new report:
“Gassed Out — How Building Electrification Now Means a Healthy, Prosperous Menlo Park” 

The report covers the benefits of electrification and the steps that Menlo Park can take to phase out methane gas use, while also ensuring affordability for everyone.

The City of Menlo Park adopted a Climate Action Plan one year ago that includes a target to transition most homes and buildings off gas by 2030.

Some key takeaways from the report include:

• Methane gas contributes almost 40 percent of the carbon pollution in Menlo Park.
• Children in homes with gas stoves are 42% more likely to develop asthma than those with electric stoves.
• Utility bills can be up to $800 per year less for all-electric homes than comparable homes that use fossil fuels.
• Affordable and equitable electrification in Menlo Park is accessible for residents of all income levels through various funding and financing sources, and incentives.
• Menlo Park’s City Council can ensure that this transition is faster and more equitable through enacting policies including a Reach Code 2.0 and process improvements such as streamlined permitting.

The full report will be available soon. In the meantime a factsheet and other supporting materials can be accessed online here.

Photo of sign in a Menlo Park front yard by Linda Hubbard (c) 2021