Menlo Park receives Peninsula Clean Energy Green Cities Award

The City of Menlo Park is the 2026 recipient of Peninsula Clean Energy’s Green Cities Award for leadership in reducing emissions from gas-burning appliances.

Menlo Park was the first city in Northern California to approve innovative building codes in 2025 that go beyond new construction to also tackle emissions from gas-burning appliances in existing buildings.

“Menlo Park’s decisive action demonstrated political courage and strategic leadership that helped create a clear path for other cities to follow,” Peninsula Clean Energy CEO Shawn Marshall said.

“I could not be prouder of all the contributors to Menlo Park’s building code,” said Menlo Park Mayor Betsy Nash, who is also a member of Peninsula Clean Energy’s board of directors. “Together, we found a workable way to eliminate harmful indoor air pollution while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This benefits residents and their families directly and makes a difference for our collective futures as well.”

“When state law changed the landscape, the City moved quickly to protect what we’d worked toward,” Menlo Park Sustainability Manager Rachael Londer said. “The code was written to be flexible in meeting residents where they are, while still driving us forward. Now we’re focused on making sure everyone has the access and support to electrify —including permit fee waivers and no-cost upgrades and rebates through the Home Upgrade Services program.”

Burning gas in appliances is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas pollution and a major cause of smog and poor air quality in the Bay Area. Most cities across San Mateo County have already adopted reach codes — local building codes that go beyond state requirements — as one of the most effective ways to reduce this pollution from new buildings. Reach codes encourage clean electric appliances and also expand access to electric vehicle charging.

When new California-wide legislation in 2025 restricted future reach codes to specific situations, the City of Menlo Park that summer passed its innovative new building codes before that law went into effect.

It includes “two-way AC” rules that ensure new air conditioners are heat pump capable, allowing them to both heat and cool homes efficiently with electricity.

Menlo Park is also leading by example through on-the-ground implementation. The city is replacing gas appliances in the Belle Haven Child Development Center and other municipal facilities with clean electric appliances. Menlo Park has also developed services to help make electric appliances more affordable, including a program that builds on Peninsula Clean Energy’s Home Upgrade program to help additional Menlo Park residents install major electric appliances at no cost.