Starting in 2030, California homeowners won’t be allowed to install new gas water heaters or furnaces. Existing gas appliances can stay, but when they die, your only legal replacement will be electric or zero-emission. It’s part of the state’s larger push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—and in principle, that’s a good thing.
But if you own a home in Sonoma County, this transition could hit harder than you expect.
Out of the roughly 210,000 housing units in the county, a huge percentage have older electrical systems. Many homes have just 100-amp panels—plenty for 1975, but not even close to enough for 2025, let alone 2030. Add in an induction cooktop, a heat pump water heater, and EV charging, and you’re suddenly pushing beyond what your system can handle.
If your electrical service is overhead, panel upgrades are challenging but manageable. But if your PG&E power comes in underground—as it does for thousands of homes in Santa Rosa and surrounding areas—the situation gets complicated fast.
Here’s what we’re seeing at APG Electric:
One solution that’s barely discussed: going fully electric and removing your gas meter altogether. That simplifies PG&E’s requirements and, in some cases, can reduce the total project cost and complexity. But it’s a big step—not one to take lightly.
The bottom line: electrification is coming, but many homeowners aren’t prepared for the electrical infrastructure upgrades it demands. If you’re in an older home, and especially if you’ve got underground service, now’s the time to start asking questions—even if you’re not ready to pull the trigger.
We’re here to help you make sense of it.
