Maryland lawmakers consider bill to require newly built homes be fully electric

The 'Better Buildings Act' would require new buildings constructed in Maryland to be completely electric.

"We can't just sit around waiting for things to get easier. We have to act now and act boldly," said Senator Benjamin Brooks, a Democrat from Baltimore County.

The bill requires buildings to be constructed to be able to power everything necessary to live without the use of fossil fuels. It also requires solar hook ups on new buildings for when the state may require them later.

"Why would we continue to build buildings that are not electric? It makes no sense," said Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, a Democrat from Montgomery County.

Opponents to the bill have said Maryland's electric grid wouldn't be able to handle the increased demand. Senator Brooks says a feasibility study shows otherwise.

"The public service commission did a study of this very thing in December of 2023 and found that our grid could handle the transition," said Brooks.

"It's not a situation where we want to add more demand right now and this would add tons more demand. It's literally going in the other direction of where we need to go in making energy more available to consumers," said Senator Justin Ready, a Republican on the committee to see this bill first.

Lawmakers view this in the context of a broader plan of moving Maryland off the reliance of natural gas in homes. They say it's safer and more efficient to be fully electric.

"So when we talk about building electrification we need to remember first and foremost it is ultimately the safest thing we can do for current buildings and new buildings is to make sure they are all electric," said Charkoudian.

The bill was introduced last year and failed to make it out of either committee. The lawmakers are confident they can change that this year.