Evanston is considering a ban on natural gas connections in new building construction.

The ban, if enacted, would follow similar policies implemented in cities like Seattle and New York City. It would also help Evanston reach its goal of carbon neutrality for municipal operations by 2035, under the city’s Zero Emissions Strategy.

According to the city website, Mayor Daniel Biss made a referral for the ban to the Environment Board in January.

Evanston Sustainability and Resilience Coordinator Cara Pratt said the Environment Board plans to discuss it in its March meeting.

She added that the city hopes to bring a draft of the ban to the board within the next year.

“We really want to hear people’s opinions about this, so we’re bringing it to the Environment Board first to have a plan for community engagement, whether that’s public meetings or a survey,” Pratt said.

Evanston’s consideration to ban new natural gas connections sits in the backdrop of a national conversation around the harmful health effects of burning natural gas. 

While many residential appliances — like gas-powered furnaces and water heaters — vent pollution outside, gas-burning stoves emit pollutants into the home, which can cause or worsen respiratory illnesses. A study published in December 2022 estimated that gas-burning stoves are responsible for 12.7% of childhood asthma cases in the U.S. 

Nathan Kipnis, principal at Kipnis Architecture + Planning, said banning natural gas connections is a step in the right direction to improving both indoor and outdoor air quality.

“(The move away from natural gas) has been coming for years,” Kipnis said. “It’s a benefit all the way around. It’s better for the occupants of the building, and it’s lower energy.”

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, almost eight in 10 Illinois households use natural gas for heating.

Pratt said a potential ban would not impact previously-installed appliances.

“I feel like it’s important to distinguish between what we’re trying to do — which is to have a conversation about the potential of banning new natural gas connections in new construction — versus the social media conversation about banning gas stoves,” Pratt said. “It’s two very different things.” 

At the same time, many existing structures are shifting from gas to electric appliances. Will Gutierrez, a partner at HVAC business The Rayes Group, said his company installed three times as many hybrid HVAC systems in 2022 than in 2021 because of rising customer demand.

While there are environmental and health benefits to using electricity over natural gas, initial costs can be a barrier for residents looking to install new appliances like HVAC, especially if they are electric. 

Gutierrez said he estimates that the cost of installing an electric heat pump is roughly double that of a gas-powered AC unit.

“You’re paying more for better technology,” Gutierrez said.

But not all appliances have significant price point differences between the natural gas option and the electrical alternative. For instance, gas stoves and electric stoves are similarly priced, although operational costs depend on natural gas and electricity prices.

Gutierrez said solutions like a hybrid HVAC system can be a halfway point for residents who are seeking to upgrade their appliances but may not be able to switch to an entirely electrically powered residence. 

A hybrid HVAC system relies primarily on an electrical heat pump. If the temperature outside is too cold for the pump to properly function, the system reverts to a traditional “backup” furnace.

Kipnis said although switching to electric appliances may add costs to the residents, it is the right thing to do. 

“Either we have a world that continues to use the cheapest solution and gets destroyed, or we pay a little bit more and we do it correctly,” he said.

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Twitter: @its_samstevens

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