They lost their homes to fire. Now they’re rebuilding with all-electric.

No one is forcing fire survivors in Altadena and Pacific Palisades to rebuild their new homes with all electricity. But many want it for health reasons, cost savings or because they are concerned about climate change.

Burning gas and propane for cooking, water heating, and space heating in homes and businesses in California. 10% The state’s greenhouse gas emissions. It also releases pollutants into indoor spaces.

For this reason, in recent years, state policy has turned towards electrification and approximately 39% of new homes It broke in in California in 2024 without a gas line. Only 8 percent of homes were fully electric In 2020.

But after last year’s fires, Governor Gavin Newsom waived 2025 building code This strongly encouraged electric heat pumps in new construction, allowing residents in burned areas to rebuild to older, less efficient standards.

The city of LA also waived its requirement that new homes be all electric.

Climate experts called these rollbacks a missed opportunity. Preliminary figures show 1,300 residents have applied for reconnection through SoCalGas, which serves most of Los Angeles.

But some determined groups of neighbors are already building all-electric buildings, even if there is no requirement. Here are some of the reasons:

Neighbors building passive houses in Altadena

Leo Cheng is part of a group of about 10 Eaton fire survivors who worked together to build passive houses in Altadena.

A passive house is airtight and highly insulated and is designed to reduce the need for air conditioning and heating to the greatest extent possible.

Cheng, who previously lived in a home with a gas stove, oven and water heater, became interested in the concept when he learned that more smoke and toxic ash could be kept out during a fire.

He thinks passive houses go hand in hand with all-electric appliances because “with airtight construction, having a gas stove in the house doesn’t particularly make sense from an indoor air quality perspective.”

Cheng was one of the western Altadena residents who received evacuation orders late on Jan. 7, 2025. He remembers running out of his house in the middle of the night without having time to turn off the gas, so he likes the idea of ​​reducing the risk of fire by eliminating it all together.

Leo Cheng, 60, lives with his wife in a 1960s California farmhouse on East Calaveras Street in Altadena.

(Gary Coronado / For the Times)

After taking a passive house tour led by his neighbor Jaime Rodriguez, who he credits with sparking the passive house movement in Altadena, Cheng became part of a small but growing group that met weekly to support each other in rebuilding energy-efficient, all-electric homes. A former NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer decided to become a passive house consultant.

Besides indoor air quality, climate change is also a major concern.

“I believe climate change plays a big role in the intensity and prevalence of these fires,” Cheng said. “Using fossil fuels in this day and age is not a good idea.”

Companies building all-electric catalog houses

Building a custom-designed home can present a number of obstacles. For those seeking a simpler, more affordable approach, the Foothill Catalog Foundation offers pre-approved, all-electric home designs in styles that honor Altadena’s architectural heritage.

When local architects Cynthia Sigler and Alex Athenson founded the nonprofit last year, they were inspired by early 20th-century Sears catalogs where homes were sold as sets.

They are currently working with 11 families who have homes under construction, and another 50 families have signed on to build their own catalog homes.

Athenson said that they did not set out to design their models completely electric, but they decided to go this route for health and safety reasons. Another factor was that by eliminating the need for two electrical connections, customers could save money and time.

A sign in front of Leo Cheng’s house announcing that an all-electric house will be built on the site where his house burned down during the Eaton fire.

(Gary Coronado / For the Times)

According to the Building Decarbonization Coalition, a group that advocates for electrification, the cost of all-electric homes is $3,000 to $10,000 less Building mixed-fuel homes in Los Angeles. This savings helps when it comes to purchasing devices like heat pumps, which are the most efficient but tend to be more expensive up front.

Since the heat pump uses much less electricity than traditional air conditioners, it will provide lower electricity bills for cooling in the summer. They create winter heat bill savings Also in Los Angeles.

The biggest question Athenson gets from customers is about electric cooking, especially when they are used to cooking with gas. But he said concerns usually disappear as more information is learned about induction cooktops. “If you ask most chefs, this is the most efficient and precise way to cook,” he said.

Genesis Builders LA also offers fixed-price, pre-approved catalog homes in Altadena with all-electric or gas-powered models. Builder Devang Shah said he worked with about 30 fire survivors and half of them opted for all-electric vehicles.

“Some people prefer gas cooking and the look of a gas-burning fireplace,” Shah said. But all of their customers will use electric heat pumps to heat space and water. While the state is waiving the requirement for all new homes to use solar power for blighted areas, they still must be solar-ready. All of Shah’s models come with solar power, which he said always helps heat pumps run more efficiently.

Incentive program for all-electric rebuilds

After a long delay, $22 million incentive program It launched April 6 to support the all-electric rebuild of residents in California disaster areas served by investor-owned utilities like Southern California Edison. Customers may qualify for subsidies of $7,000 to $10,000; These subsidies are available more for low-income fire survivors and bonuses for batteries and passive houses.

In the first 10 days alone, 116 people from Altadena applied.

Plans for a new home along East Altadena Road.

(Gary Coronado / For the Times)

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which serves most of the Palisades There is also a discount program for the reconstruction of wildfires, with subsidies for fully electric homes or individual appliances.

Reza Akef, a Palisades builder and chairman of the Pacific Palisades Community Council Infrastructure Committee, said people take those incentives into consideration when deciding what appliances to buy. On the other hand, SoCalGas offers wildfire rebates for more energy efficient gas appliances. More than 1,100 households registered.

About 90% of Akef’s 45 Palisades customers will keep gas. Fuel is faster for heating pools and spas, he said, where electric heat pumps are more energy efficient than gas but heat water more slowly. Some of their customers think a gas line will increase the resale value of their home, and others have concerns about relying on a single electric company if the power goes out.

A spokesman for Newsom said California is “aggressively pursuing widespread electrification” but will not impose “additional mandates and red tape” on survivors. Mayor Karen Bass’ office said she is giving Palisadians “options for how they want to rebuild” with fire resilience at the forefront.

Kari Weaver is an interior designer who lost her home in the Palisades fire and a member of the Resilient Palisades group, which advocates for all-electric rebuilding. He plans to build an all-electric house with solar power and a battery system in case of a power outage. But he will keep a gas line on the property and is still deciding whether he can hook it up to his pool. It is exploring options such as a water-insulating cover, hybrid heaters and new electric heating models.

“These types of devices are getting better every day,” he said.