Clean Buildings

Learn about the Air District’s work to accelerate the transition to healthy, clean, and climate-friendly buildings for all.

Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative

The Bay Area Healthy Homes Initiative, or BAHHI, is a program that seeks to improve health outcomes for the Contra Costa and Alameda County residents living in the areas most impacted by traffic-related air pollution. The program integrates multiple services that seek to reduce participants’ exposure to air pollution and other asthma triggers, while also making homes more healthy by increasing energy efficiency and reducing the combustion of natural gas.

The program offers asthma education, in-home asthma trigger assessments, energy-efficiency assessments, home retrofits - including switching from natural gas to electric appliances - and indoor air monitoring. Anticipated outcomes include improved indoor air quality, decreased energy use, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved health outcomes of participating households.

Zero-NOx Building Appliance Rules Implementation Working Group

In March 2023, the Air District's Board of Directors approved amendments to Rule 9-4: Nitrogen Oxides from Fan Type Residential Central Furnaces and Rule 9-6: Nitrogen Oxides Emissions from Natural Gas-Fired Boilers and Water Heaters to protect public health by reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides, or NOx, from residential and commercial furnaces and water heaters in buildings in the Bay Area, with compliance dates starting with small water heaters manufactured after January 1, 2027.

In preparation for future implementation of the rules, the Air District, led by Climate Protection staff, convened an Implementation Working Group, or IWG, made up of key external stakeholders – including technology and policy experts, housing advocates, environmental justice organizations, labor and workforce representatives, and others – to provide information, perspectives, and recommendations that will support an equitable and smooth transition to zero-NOx appliances. The IWG process, which augments stakeholder engagement with rigorous technical analysis and the latest available data, will likely span from 2023 until 2029 to address other appliance types and compliance dates covered by the rules.

Additional information on the rule amendments and a detailed description of the IWG can be found on the Building Appliances Rule Implementation web page.

Clean Building Compass

The Air District funded the creation of the Building Decarbonization Coalition’s Clean Building Compass, a comprehensive building decarbonization policy clearinghouse for local governments seeking guidance on a spectrum of different policy pathways. Resources found in the Clean Building Compass include guidance materials, policy reports, fact sheets, ordinances, and other related materials. View a webinar demo that shows how to use the tool.

Featured Resources

View a few featured clean buildings resources to support Bay Area local governments. Explore the full Local Government Support Program Resource Library for more.

Clean Building Compass

Community–scale strategies and examples for climate action.

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Clean Air Filtration Program

The Air District’s Clean Air Filtration Program aims to provide access to high efficiency air filtration to help those who are most vulnerable to wildfire smoke and air pollution.

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The Switch Is On

The Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC) introduced The Switch Is On campaign in 2019, aiming to inform, motivate, and facilitate the transition to electric appliances for communities, contractors, and anyone who lives or works in a building. The Air District collaborates as a partner in this endeavor.

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