San Jose Biggest U.S. City to Ban Natural Gas in New Buildings

San Jose, Calif., formally became the largest city in the U.S. to ban natural gas in new construction and enact new code standards favoring all-electric appliances, including heat and hot water.

The City Council approved the new code unanimously on Oct. 1. The San Francisco Bay Area’s largest city became the 10th California city in the past four months to adopt so-called reach codes, which require or favor high-efficiency electric appliances. The code must be approved by the California Energy Commission.

The codes create all-electric construction incentives by requiring increased energy efficiency for buildings with gas appliances, according ...