news
Summary
- Switching from gas stoves to electric induction stoves can reduce indoor nitrogen dioxide air pollution by over 50%
- A pilot project led by WE ACT for Environmental Justice in NYC evaluated the benefits of transitioning to induction stoves in affordable housing
- Research indicates a 56% reduction in NO2 concentrations in homes using induction stoves compared to those using gas stoves
- Transitioning to electric stoves not only benefits health but also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is crucial for environmental justice in vulnerable populations.
Switching from a gas stove to an electric induction stove can reduce indoor nitrogen dioxide air pollution, a known health hazard, by more than 50 percent according to new research led by scientists at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Columbia Climate School.
The study was carried out as part of a pilot project titled “Out of Gas, In with Justice” led by Northern Manhattan-based nonprofit WE ACT for Environmental Justice. The pilot is the first to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of transitioning from gas to induction stoves in affordable housing. It is also the first study to evaluate the effects of residential cooking electrification in a public housing setting in the U.S.
This research comes as New York City passed a law in 2023 that will ban gas-powered heaters, cooking stoves and water boilers in all new buildings to meet climate goals. Similarly, in 2022, California adopted an electric-friendly statewide building code requiring buildings to be “all-electric ready.” Gas stoves are used in about 38 percent of U.S. homes but their prevalence varies significantly by state, reaching 62 percent in New York.
Read the full post at Columbia Climate School.
