Lifting of Natural Gas Moratorium Is Time to Consider All Energy Options

Today’s official lifting by Con Edison of the moratorium on new natural gas installations in Westchester makes it an opportune time to consider all energy supply options.

In its letter to the NYS Public Service Commission dated November 17, Con Edison said that a combination of lower peak demand forecast and increased supply resulting from the Tennessee East 300 Project coming online resolved the Westchester supply-demand gap. The announcement follows a four and a half year pause that affected home and businesses throughout Westchester causing many builders to shift to electric.

Dan Singer, President and CEO of Robison and an expert on supply and demand in the energy market, said much of this capacity relief is due to business and homeowners turning to alternate sources of energy and is not necessarily due to the reliability of gas supply in the future. Singer said that the lifting of the moratorium opens the door for home and business owners to evaluate the full array of options for heating their properties.

The state’s push to move away from fossil fuels by 2030, could force those who return to gas to shift gears again in the near future. The state’s All-Electrification Buildings Act set to take effect in 2026 would ban fossil fuels (including natural gas) in new construction. In addition, if existing equipment fails, homeowners wouldn’t be able to replace it with a fossil fuel-fired system.

Singer said that there are many choices for homeowners including B20 Biofuel  (a blend of heating oil and biofuel that is actually greener than Natural Gas); Air Source Heat Pump (ASHP); and Ground Source Heat Pump (GSHP) aka Geothermal. 

Because of its push to become carbon neutral by 2030, New York State continues to offer substantial rebates to homeowners and businesses who choose alternative energy sources.

Singer is a BCW Member and has been a presenter at the BCW’s last two energy conferences.