When it comes to feeding her family, Jasmine Carter says she’d rather cook than go out to eat, even if that means using an electric stove.

“I’m able to not be so alarmed about teaching my kids to cook with no fire, which is great using an electric stove,” she said.

The single mom moved to Pacific Landing in October, a new affordable housing development in Santa Monica that is all-electric. None of the 37 units use any natural gas.

“I don’t have to worry about carbon monoxide leaks or anything like that, which is beautiful with me having kids and being a single mom,” Carter said.

“Climate change is an existential threat that I don’t think people have taken seriously enough,” said Tara Barauskas with Community Corp of Santa Monica, the group that developed the affordable housing complex.

Its rooftop is covered in solar panels along with an electric heat pump, that Barauskas says is more efficient than a traditional gas water heater.

“Affordable housing is the first housing that should be all-electric because we serve people who have been systemically disadvantaged, so they’re the ones that should get the healthiest, best housing,” she said.

According to a similar ordinance passed in Los Angeles, buildings in LA account for 43% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than any other sector in the city. It’s also higher than both statewide and national levels.

“The reality is if you’re the one who’s cooking, you’re the one who’s breathing in most of the emissions that are being produced by the combustion by that stove, so it’s healthier for you as well,” said Ben Stapleton, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council-Los Angeles. He has been partnering with Barauskas to create these all-electric buildings.

“If you think about it, you’re not running all those pipes for the gas,” said Stapleton. “You don’t have to worry about that whole 2nd piece of infrastructure and running that into the building, so that can be a benefit. A lot of the challenge right now is just figuring out existing buildings.”

“If you plan for it upfront, it really doesn’t add any additional cost,” Barauskas said, referring to multiple rebates for solar and various other green energy appliances.

“It’s our second or third building that’s all electric. It’s something new that we started 3 or 4 years ago as part of our decarbonization strategy,” she said.

Stapleton and Barauskas agree buildings are typically more expensive to retrofit, which is why they urge builders and contractors to go all-electric from the start and as the power grid gets smarter and uses more renewable energy, Stapleton says it will be able to tackle the increased demand.

“When you’re mixing all-electric with solar in some cases with battery storage, these systems all work together to create a much more efficient and effective approach,” he said.

And he argues some of the biggest opportunities for battery storage are in electric vehicles.

“Those cars are just giant batteries,” said Stapleton. “How do we use those and plug those into our homes to be able to provide emergency power in the event of disasters? I think that’s going to become more and more of the way of the future.”

Ultimately, all-electric advocates say the ban is not just about fighting climate change, but creating a healthier environment for people like Carter, her family and all Californians.

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