NYS passes nation’s first statewide law banning gas stoves

ROCHESTER, N.Y. The gas stove in your kitchen may be a thing of the past.

New York has become the first state in the country to pass legislation that will ban gas hook-ups in newly built homes. If you already have a gas stove in your home, no need to worry. The measure just passed in the state budget will be phased in over time and only applies to newly constructed buildings beginning in 2025.

But it’s a change that has moved gas usage to the front burner for many across the Empire State. Pride Mark Homes president and CEO Jim Barbato said the new law makes too many changes too quickly.

“We are the first state in the nation to shift away from natural gas to all-electric,” Barbato said. “There has been some municipalities that have done it but nobody on a state-wide level.”

It’s a decision that Barbato said will have an impact on the housing market and home-building companies across New York.

“We don’t really have the products in place to heat efficiently with just electric in our climate yet,” Barbato said. “Products do exist but they are more expensive than the conventional systems of natural gas that we currently use.”

Barbato said that the law could end up passing more costs on to the consumer at a time when inflation and the price of consumer goods are already high.

“There will be a cost increase in doing that,” Barbato said. “I believe that we are doing what is meeting the needs of the market in an affordable efficient way already and shifting to all-electric will be challenging.”

Pocketbook issues aren’t the only concern though. According to attorney Donald Chesworth, partner at Tully Rinckey in Rochester, the biggest obstacle to implementation may come from legal challenges.

“There are probably different associations that represent these different folks who are going to want to have some opportunity to at least make the government show that what they are trying to accomplish makes some sense,” Chesworth said.

Phased in over time, the law aims to reduce fossil fuel usage statewide. The measure will go into effect for buildings with fewer than seven stories beginning in 2026 and kick in for taller buildings by 2029. This is an energy overhaul that Chesworth feels is better suited for discussion outside of the budget debate.

“If they would deal with these things as separate matters then the public would have an opportunity to see what the discussions are,” Chesworth said. “But when you hide them all in the budget, you don’t get to see that.”

Barbato says that his company has already seen an increase in the number of clients contacting his company to build homes with gas stoves before the measure can be implemented. Notably exempt from the new law are hospitals, critical infrastructure, and commercial food establishments.