How to phase out residential gas equitably
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- US residential gas bills now allocate about two‑thirds of charges to pipeline maintenance and replacement rather than fuel.
- US natural‑gas infrastructure costs have tripled over the past ten years even as the customer base grew just 8.5% and per‑household gas use fell.
- Kristin George Bagdanov of the Building Decarbonization Coalition says the legal limits of a utility’s “obligation to serve” must be clarified to enable an equitable gas phase‑out.
- Panama Bartholomy highlights the potential to convert stranded pipelines into geothermal thermal networks, offering a pathway for utilities to repurpose assets.
- US has become the world’s leading market for heat‑pump sales, accelerating the shift away from gas heating.
Why it matters: Low‑income households will shoulder rising pipeline bills as affluent owners switch to heat pumps, while utilities protect profits and the US market drives heat‑pump adoption, reshaping the residential energy landscape.
