American Dry Cleaner, a trade publication headquartered in Chicago that serves as the definitive source of industry intelligence for plant owners and operators, quoted BizFed Director of Advocacy Sarah Wiltfong in a piece about the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD’s) proposed rule to phase out natural gas water heaters and boilers.
“One big concern is that there are just a lot of folks who are unaware this is coming up. That’s why we sent out an alert, and that’s why we were trying to raise awareness about it,” Sarah told American Dry Cleaner.
The proposed rule carries far-reaching implications for numerous businesses including dry cleaners. The costs of replacing and running water heaters and boilers that are in compliance with the proposed new rule could hurt or destroy businesses, particularly small enterprise.
“It could easily run, at a minimum, $200,000. One dry cleaner told me it would be closer to $800,000 to retrofit and install. And then on top of that, that doesn’t even include the monthly utility payments, which will probably be considerably more expensive,” Sarah explained.
