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

No one is forcing survivors of the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires to rebuild their new, all-electric homes. But many of them want it, for health reasons, to save costs or because they worry about climate change.

Burning gas and propane for cooking, water heating, and space heating in California homes and businesses generates 10 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. It also releases pollutants indoors.

That’s why in recent years, state policy has pushed toward electrification, and about 39% of new homes in California in 2024 were built without gas lines. Only 8% of all homes were fully electric in 2020.

Yet after last year’s fires, Gov. Gavin Newsom backed away from a 2025 building code that heavily encouraged electric heat pumps in new construction, allowing residents in burned areas to rebuild to older, less efficient standards.

The city of Los Angeles also waived the requirement that new homes be all-electric.

Climate experts have called the setbacks a missed opportunity. Early numbers show 1,300 residents have already requested reconnection through SoCalGas, which serves most of Los Angeles.

However, certain determined groups of neighbors are still building all-electric, even without meeting the requirements. Here are some of their reasons:

Neighbors build passive houses in Altadena

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

Felipe Jimenez, a construction foreman, reads plans Friday for a new home on East Mariposa Street in Altadena.

(Gary Coronado / For Time)

A passive house is airtight and highly insulated, designed to minimize air conditioning and heating requirements.

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

He believes that passive houses go hand in hand with all-electric appliances, because “with airtight construction, having a gas stove in the house makes no sense at all” for indoor air quality.

Cheng was one of the west Altadena residents who received evacuation orders on Jan. 7, 2025. He remembers rushing out of his house in the middle of the night without time to turn off the gas. So he also likes the idea of ​​reducing fire hazards by eliminating them all together.

Leo Cheng, 60, at the site where he lived with his wife on a 1960s California ranch on East Calaveras Street in Altadena.

(Gary Coronado / For Time)

After taking a passive house tour led by his neighbor Jaime Rodriguez, whom he credits with sparking the passive house movement in Altadena, Cheng became part of a small but growing group that meets once a week to help each other rebuild energy-efficient, all-electric homes. A former engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he decided to become a passive house consultant.

In addition to indoor air quality, climate change is a major concern.

“I firmly believe that climate change played a significant role in the intensity and scale of these fires,” Cheng said. “In this day and age, using fossil fuels is not a good idea.”

Companies building all-electric catalog homes

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

Local architects Cynthia Sigler and Alex Athenson were inspired by early 20th century Sears catalogs that sold kit homes when they founded the nonprofit last year.

They are already working with 11 families whose homes are under construction and have 50 more signed up to build their catalog homes.

Athenson said they had no plans to make their models fully electric, but decided to go that route for health and safety reasons. Another factor was the time and money they could save customers by eliminating the need for two utility hookups.

A sign in front of Leo Cheng’s house announcing that an all-electric home will be built where his house burned in the Eaton Fire.

(Gary Coronado / For Time)

All-electric homes cost between $3,000 and $10,000 less to build than mixed-use homes in Los Angeles, according to the Building Decarbonization Coalition, an electrification advocacy group. These savings come in handy when it comes to purchasing devices like heat pumps, which are the most efficient but tend to be more expensive up front.

The heat pump will reduce utility bills for summer cooling because it uses much less electricity than traditional air conditioners. They also generate savings on the heating bill in winter 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 added that concerns usually go away when they learn more about induction cookers. “If you ask most chefs, it’s the most precise, precise way to cook,” he said.

Genesis Builders LA also offers fixed-price, pre-approved catalog homes in Altadena, with models that can be fully electric or use gas. Builder Devang Shah said he was working with about 30 fire survivors, half of whom have opted to go all-electric.

“Some people prefer gas cooking and the look of a gas-lit fireplace,” Shah said. But all of its customers will use electric heat pumps to heat premises and water. Although the state has waived the requirement that all new homes have solar power for burned areas, they must still be solar-ready. Shah’s models all have solar power, which he says helps the heat pumps work every time.

An incentive program for all-electric rebuilds

After a long delay, a $22 million incentive program was launched April 6 to help residents rebuild all-electric in California disaster areas served by investor-owned utilities like Southern California Edison. Customers can qualify for $7,000 to $10,000 in grants, with more money available for low-income fire survivors and bonuses for batteries and passive houses.

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

A plan for a new home along East Altadena Drive.

(Gary Coronado / For Time)

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which serves most of Palisades, also has a rebate program for wildfire electrical rebuilds, with grants for all-electric homes or individual appliances.

Reza Akef, a builder in Palisades and chair of the Pacific Palisades Community Council’s infrastructure committee, said people consider these incentives when deciding which appliances to buy. On the other hand, SoCalGas offers wildfire rebates for more energy-efficient gas appliances. More than 1,100 households have registered.

About 90% of Akef’s 45 Palisades customers will conserve gas. He said the fuel is faster for heating pools and spas, where electric heat pumps are more energy efficient than gas but heat water more slowly. Some of his customers believe a gas line will increase the resale value of their home, he said, and others worry about relying on a single electric utility during a power outage.

A spokesperson for Newsom said California was “aggressively pursuing widespread electrification” but would not impose “additional mandates and red tape” on survivors. Mayor Karen Bass’ office said she’s giving Palisadians “options on 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 Resilient Palisades, a group that advocates all-electric rebuilds. She plans to build an all-electric home with a solar system and batteries in case the power goes out. But she will keep a gas line on the property and is still deciding whether to hook it up to her pool. She’s exploring options like a water-insulating blanket, hybrid heaters and new electric heating models.

“These types of devices are constantly improving,” she said.