Last winter, as Chicago temperatures remained relatively mild, I still found myself struck by the staggering price of my gas bill. As a pastor in South Shore, this financial shock wave hit particularly hard when my church’s bill surpassed $3,000. It left me wondering why something as fundamental as heat should come with such a high price tag.
It also left me troubled. Though I can afford it, many in my community would be challenged to meet similar expenses.
In addition to my pastoral duties, I serve as the policy director for Faith in Place, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people of faith to advocate for environmental justice in their communities. Despite my awareness of problems with fossil fuel use, the sticker shock of this basic utility drove home an unmet need for change.
The statistics alone are alarming — with high fees and fixed charges for gas connection, nearly 1 in 5 Chicago consumers is behind on their gas bill. In Black and Brown neighborhoods, that rate climbs to nearly 50%. Consequently, Illinois leads the nation in gas shut-offs, with Black and Brown households twice as likely to experience disconnection compared to their white counterparts — underscoring a dire equity and affordability crisis that cannot be ignored.
Gas affordability isn’t only a financial issue — it’s a matter of public health and environmental justice. People living in communities already burdened by health disparities are hit hardest by the dual challenges of unaffordable utility bills and heightened exposure to pollutants.
Burning gas in our homes for heating and cooking poses significant health risks, especially for vulnerable communities. A Stanford University study concluded that burning gas can raise indoor levels of the carcinogen benzene above those in secondhand tobacco smoke. Indoor gas combustion is the most racially inequitable form of pollution exposure, with people of color exposed to 41% more than their white counterparts. In addition to cancer-causing benzene, dangerous air pollutants generated by fossil fuel combustion exacerbate asthma in children.
The introduction of the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance by Mayor Brandon Johnson in January is a critical first step toward addressing the problem of gas. Building electrification can reduce costs in the immediate and the long term. By some estimates, homeowners who switch from natural gas to electric heat pumps are likely to experience significant savings in the first year, followed by lifetime savings ranging from $24,716 to $47,104.
‘We cannot afford to wait’
While this sensible measure aligns with market trends, we cannot afford to wait on the sidelines, hoping that market forces alone will drive change. With fossil fuel use in buildings representing more than two-thirds of Chicago’s climate emissions, the ordinance initiates a necessary transition away from natural gas to cleaner and more affordable forms of heat.
The longer we delay this transition, the heavier the burden becomes for our city and its residents. Every new gas-dependent building further entrenches us in outdated infrastructure, compounding the costs of future retrofitting efforts — as the least expensive time to decarbonize a building is when it is being built.
By prioritizing all-electric construction for new buildings, the city can shift its attention to retrofitting the remainder of Chicago’s building supply, channeling resources into the communities that need the investment most. Embracing clean energy solutions means ensuring that all Chicagoans have access to affordable, healthy living environments.
There is real economic potential in building electrification, with opportunities to create jobs and uplift communities across the city. Electrifying buildings will put our current workforce to good use and expand new job opportunities. A recent study showed energy efficiency and building electrification will employ at least twice as many workers as fossil fuels in buildings.
Maintaining the status quo is unsustainable in the short term and untenable in the long term. Waiting for the market to dictate the transition to clean energy also exacerbates the risk of historically marginalized communities being further left behind in a system that is already dangerously inequitable.
When the City Council passes the Clean and Affordable Buildings Ordinance, it will mark an important beginning.
By prioritizing clean energy solutions, the ordinance paves the way for a more sustainable future while creating thousands of new jobs and safeguarding public health. I urge the City Council to pass the ordinance quickly and take the first step in a much-needed managed transition from fossil fuels, setting the stage for an affordable, equitable, clean economy.
Pastor Scott Onqué is policy director of Faith in Place and Faith in Place Action Fund.
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