Assemblyman Christian Barranco is proposing the state provide full disclosure on the costs to homeowners, renters and businesses of Gov. Phil Murphy’s energy master plan.

Barranco (R- Morris, Essex, Passaic) wants the state BPU (Board of Public Utilities) to include in its data reporting on energy use, the cost of “going electric” as outlined in Murphy’s 2020 Energy Master Plan that set a goal of making the state 50 percent carbon neutral by 2030 and 100 percent neutral buy 2050.

“Those are lofty goals but they will come with a tremendous cost to the end user,” said Barranco, a member of IBEW local 102 for 18 years, who has worked as a project manager in the vital field of Electrical Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution.

Barranco said the Department of Environmental Protection’s assessment of the governor’s master plan estimates that the cost of heating your home using electrical energy will be 4 to 5 times greater in coming years than it costs now to generate electricity and heat using natural gas.

And, he added, the cost of retrofitting a home or small business to electric heat will range from $40,000 to $60,000.

“That’s a tremendous amount of money for families and small businesses to spend to meet the governor’s objectives,” said Barranco. “People need to know that cost now and its impact on their family budget and on their jobs. They need the facts, not rhetoric. And I want to make sure they have the facts.”

Barranco says he favors investment in all kinds of energy production, including renewable and nuclear. “It is fantasy to believe that the state will be 100 percent carbon free in 2050,” he said.

Barranco says the BPU has an obligation to calculate and disclose accurate information on energy costs so consumers can make informed decisions about Gov. Murphy’s energy policy.

“The reality that is staring us in the face is that our state’s energy needs are growing along with our reliance on technology. The energy needed to power this state is not going to come exclusively from wind and solar ever. We need a rational and cost-effective energy plan and a well-informed citizenry.”