For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jackie.Greger@sierraclub.org
Health, climate organizations applaud committee passage of legislation that will set the standard for healthier, more affordable homes and buildings in New Jersey
S.249 would offer more options for New Jersey residents and businesses to adopt highly efficient heat pumps.
Trenton, NJ — A coalition of health, environmental justice and climate organizations today applauded the New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee’s vote in favor of Senate Bill 249 (S.249), legislation that would require electric utilities to propose and implement beneficial electrification programs for homes and businesses that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with New Jersey’s climate goals. The bill now heads to the Senate floor as advocates demand passage before the conclusion of New Jersey’s legislative session at the end of June.
S.249 enables New Jersey’s electric utilities to offer more options for residents and building owners to lower their energy bills, improve air quality, and reduce emissions by upgrading to highly efficient clean energy technology like heat pumps, which can save residents up to 41% on their annual energy bills. As record-breaking heat blankets New Jersey and extreme heat events become more frequent, upgrading homes to the latest, most efficient equipment also provides life-saving cooling. Choosing heat pumps can also reduce a building’s emissions by 33% in just the first year, and 59% over the lifetime of the equipment.
Committee passage of S.249 represents the growing momentum for New Jersey to invest in programs that help residents upgrade to healthier homes and buildings. In May, the president of ASHRAE, which represents nearly 1,000 New Jersey HVAC professionals, sent a letter to the New Jersey Senate to support policies to accelerate the adoption of highly efficient heat pumps. Earlier this year, New Jersey joined eight other states in pledging to accelerate heat pump adoption to reach 65% of HVAC sales by 2030 and 90% HVAC sales by 2040, a move widely supported by industry voices and manufacturers. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities recently enacted a package of new construction incentives that will promote electrification measures and greater energy efficiency, and residents will soon be able to access more than $183 million in federal rebates from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Below are quotes from a coalition of advocates in support of S.249:
Joe O’Brien-Applegate, Eastern Equitable Building Decarbonization Advocate, Climate & Energy, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC): “We are encouraged by today’s committee passage of S.249 that moves us one step closer to unlocking thousands in new rebates and incentives that will soon be available to residents to adopt healthier, more affordable homes. New Jersey has made bold commitments to increasing adoption of highly-efficient heat pumps and this measure is forward-looking legislation that ensures these commitments are upheld. We must now turn our attention to ensuring the bill gets over the finishing line and is signed into law without delay.”
Nicole Miller, Vice Chair, New Jersey Progressive Equitable Energy Coalition (NJPEEC): “Our state’s metro areas have some of the worst air quality across the nation, with Black, Brown, and low-income communities at greater risk from the debilitating impact of ozone pollution. Today’s committee passage of S.249 is the first step to ensuring all New Jerseyans, including our most vulnerable residents, have greater access to healthier, more affordable homes. Accelerating the adoption of heat pumps and other electric technologies will help residents save money on their energy bills, reduce climate emissions, and deliver cleaner air for New Jersey’s residents.”
Anjuli Ramos-Busot, NJ State Director for the Sierra Club: “S.249 is a pathway to deliver cleaner, healthier air for New Jersey families while reducing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing fossil fuel appliances that release dangerous pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, a key ingredient of smog and a trigger for asthma attacks, with clean energy technologies like heat pumps is essential to protecting the health and well-being of our state’s families. After today’s encouraging committee vote, we urge the entire legislature to get this bill over the finish line.”
Barbara Blumenthal, New Jersey Conservation Foundation: “Today, New Jersey lawmakers delivered on reducing utility bills for New Jersey families and achieving our state’s climate goals by advancing S.249. Increasing access to more efficient electric equipment such as heat pumps will provide families hundreds of dollars in annual savings and reduce our state’s climate emissions. As momentum grows for building electrification programs, our state’s lawmakers must move quickly towards final passage of S.249, so that families can benefit from this vital legislation.”
Ed Potosnak, Executive Director, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters: “Today’s committee vote was for lower energy bills and cleaner air for New Jersey families and businesses. At a time when higher costs pinch families and pollution endangers the health and well-being of New Jerseyans, this beneficial legislation will increase access to affordable electric appliances that improve air quality and public health. With rebates and incentives available to help lower the cost of highly efficient, clean technologies, the entire New Jersey legislature must now work quickly to get this bill passed.”
Doug O’Malley, Director of Environment New Jersey: “Building electrification is only growing in popularity with the sales of heat pumps surpassing fossil heating furnaces nationally. Burning fossil fuels in our homes is a relic of the past, which is why today’s successful committee passage of S.249, legislation that will implement beneficial electrification programs, is so critical. As lawmakers did today, we should likewise be embracing highly efficient, clean-energy equipment such as heat pumps, accelerate the revolution of electrifying homes, and not cling to last century’s polluting technologies.”
Michael Seilback, Asst VP, Nationwide Advocacy, State Public Policy, American Lung Association: “By advancing S.249 out of committee, New Jersey lawmakers have taken an important step towards protecting our lung health. But our work isn’t finished; this bill must be passed by the legislature as quickly as possible so that more residents can have access to highly energy-efficient clean technologies. Encouraging the adoption of such equipment will reduce the burden of respiratory illnesses such as asthma and COPD that are exacerbated by poor air quality caused by emissions from combustion-based appliances.”
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About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information about our work in New Jersey, visit www.sierraclub.org/new-jersey.