section_path: Environmental effects/Greenhouse gas emissions/Installation bans
section_name: Installation bans
paragraph_text: Installation bans
  
  To reduce its greenhouse emissions, the Netherlands is subsidizing a transition away from natural gas for all homes in the country by 2050. In Amsterdam, no new residential gas accounts have been allowed since 2018, and all homes in the city are expected to be converted by 2040 to use the excess heat from adjacent industrial buildings and operations. Some cities in the United States have started prohibiting gas hookups for new houses, with state laws passed and under consideration to either require electrification or prohibit local requirements. New gas appliance hookups are banned in New York State and the Australian Capital Territory. Additionally, the state of Victoria in Australia has implemented a ban on new natural gas hookups starting from January 1, 2024, as part of its gas substitution roadmap. This followed campaigning which resulted in a prohibition on onshore gas exploration and production in Victoria in 2014. This was partially lifted in 2021 but a constitutional ban remains on fracking.
  
  The UK government is also experimenting with alternative home heating technologies to meet its climate goals. To preserve their businesses, natural gas utilities in the United States have been lobbying for laws preventing local electrification ordinances, and are promoting renewable natural gas and hydrogen fuel.