Proven technologies such as industrial heat pumps and electric boilers can replace polluting industrial boilers across a wide range of industries, modernizing equipment, eliminating on-site emissions and significantly reducing air pollution and harmful climate impacts.

The Bay Area Air District (BAAD) has a critical opportunity to tackle one of the region’s major sources of air pollution by adopting strong clean air standards for industrial heating equipment.

In 2023, Bay Area regulators made history by adopting the nation’s first zero-emission standards for residential heating equipment. These landmark rules—covering small boilers, water heaters (Rule 9-6), and home space heating systems (Rule 9-4)—set zero-emission NOx standards marking a major step forward in protecting public health.

Now, BAAD can build on this momentum by adopting zero-emissions standards and demonstrating the zero-pollution path the region must take for larger boilers and furnaces used in large buildings and manufacturing facilities (Rule 9-7). These standards can accelerate the adoption of existing, commercially available technology like industrial heat pumps, protecting local communities and workers and securing Bay Area jobs in the process. These standards could avoid millions in annual health impacts, prevent 10,000 asthma attacks, and significantly reduce school and work absenteeism.