湾区推迟燃气热水器零排放要求至2028年：低收入与电气受限家庭获豁免
加利福尼亚州旧金山湾区的区域空气监管机构湾区空气质量管理局（BAAQMD）11月4日发布新闻稿说，该局董事会当天表决通过修订第9-6号规则（Rule 9-6），把住宅燃气热水器的零氮氧化物（零 NOx）要求推迟一年，合规日期由2027年1月改为2028年1月，并为低收入业主及电气、空间条件受限的住宅设立豁免。
新规只在业主更换现有热水器时适用：不要求任何家庭拆除仍在正常使用的设备，也不涉及炉灶、烘干机或壁炉。董事会主席 Lynda Hopkins 说：「这项决定既保护公众健康，也尊重各家各户实际能承受的程度。」
豁免类别包括：收入低于地区中位收入80%的低收入业主（含 Medi-Cal、CalFresh 等项目的参加者）；房贷与房产税超过收入28%的家庭；没有足够空间或通风条件安装合规机型的住宅；以及电气条件受限的住宅，例如电表低于100安、配电容量不足或需要铺设超过50英尺电线。修订还允许紧急情况下临时安装，并把多户住宅与受 deed 限制的可负担住房的合规日期进一步推迟到2033年1月1日。容量30加仑及以下与移动房屋的热水器则不在零 NOx 标准适用范围。
第9-6号规则自1992年起限制燃气热水器的氮氧化物排放，管理局2023年修订时定下零 NOx 标准。氮氧化物会助长烟雾与细颗粒物污染；管理局分析估计，湾区燃气热水器与供暖炉的污染每年造成多达85人过早死亡、15,000次哮喘发作。执行长 Philip Fine 说：「热水器是湾区空气污染的重要来源，更清洁的替代设备能帮人们活得更久、更健康。这次务实修订把规则聚焦在最容易转换的住宅，并给无力承担转换成本的家庭减负。」
管理局今年7月14日公布修订草案、10月2日发布规则提案包，秋季期间接受了公众意见。业主可在管理局的建筑电器（Building Appliances）网页查询合规时间表、豁免类别与可申请的补贴。该局负责旧金山湾区九县的空气质量保护。（来源：湾区空气质量管理局）
Bay Area Delays Zero-NOx Water Heater Rule to January 2028, With Exemptions for Low-Income Households
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), the regional air regulator for California's San Francisco Bay Area, said in a November 4 news release that its Board of Directors voted that day to amend Rule 9-6, delaying the zero-NOx residential water heater requirement by one year — from January 2027 to January 2028 — and establishing exemptions for low-income property owners and for properties where electrical or space constraints make the transition especially difficult.
The standard applies only when a property owner replaces an existing water heater. It does not require any household to remove a working appliance, and it does not apply to stoves, dryers or fireplaces. “This decision protects public health and respects what households can manage,” said Board Chair Lynda Hopkins.
The exemptions cover low-income property owners earning less than 80 percent of Area Median Income, including participants in programs such as Medi-Cal or CalFresh; households paying more than 28 percent of their income toward mortgage and property taxes; space-constrained properties without enough room or ventilation for a compliant unit; and properties with electrical limitations, such as panels below 100 amps, insufficient panel capacity, or a need to run electrical lines more than 50 feet. The amendments also allow temporary installations in emergencies and further delay the compliance date to January 1, 2033, for water heaters in multifamily buildings and deed-restricted affordable housing. Water heaters of 30 gallons or less and mobile home water heaters are not required to comply with the zero-NOx standard.
Rule 9-6 has limited nitrogen oxide emissions from natural gas-fired water heaters since 1992, and the district set the zero-NOx standard in a 2023 amendment. NOx contributes to smog and fine particulate matter, and district analysis found that pollution from gas-fired water heaters and furnaces causes as many as 85 premature deaths and 15,000 asthma attacks in the Bay Area each year. “Water heaters are a significant source of air pollution in the Bay Area, and cleaner alternatives can help people live longer, healthier lives,” said Executive Officer Dr. Philip Fine. “With these practical amendments, the Board focuses the rule on the properties that can most easily make the switch and gives relief to households that cannot afford the change without financial assistance.”
The district published draft amendments on July 14, 2026, issued a rule proposal package on October 2, and accepted public comment through the fall. Property owners can find guidance on the compliance timeline, exemption categories and available rebates on the district's Building Appliances web page. The district is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area. (Source: Bay Area Air Quality Management District)
来源：湾区空气质量管理局
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：住宅燃气储水式热水器。Tim Evanson 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0。 / Photo: A residential gas storage water heater. Tim Evanson, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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