Why thousands of New Yorkers swap gas for induction stoves in clean energy push: ‘It makes sense’

Across various states from California to Georgia, the promotion of induction stoves is gaining traction due to their benefits for climate, health, and cost efficiency.

Marcos Ramos has faced significant challenges in his ability to cook at home over the past four years, following a gas leak that resulted in a protracted supply interruption in his New York City apartment building.

However, thanks to a growing trend, Ramos is now poised to return to cooking, aided by a technology that has been at the center of an unexpected cultural debate: the electric induction stove.

Recently, over a two-day period, residents from 15 co-op apartments in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, who had previously relied on portable hot plates and microwaves for their culinary needs, received new induction stoves through a cooperative initiative supported by state and city governments, as well as nonprofit organizations.

“I’m excited, I’m going to make some lasagne, a whole pasture-raised chicken, things I couldn’t fit on the hot plate before,” expressed Ramos, a health coach and resident, while admiring his new stove.

“It’s been so frustrating to live like this until now. I now think everything should be electric. If you’re minimizing risk with the gas, the fire, then environmentally, health-wise, it makes sense. It’s logical.”

This initiative is just the beginning of a much larger endeavor for Copper, the company that supplied these induction stoves. They are embarking on a $32 million pilot program aimed at replacing gas stoves in 10,000 apartments within the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) system, which is the largest public housing network in the United States. An initial trial involving 100 of these apartments is scheduled to commence early next year.

Advocates assert that the growing acceptance of induction stoves in New York mirrors similar initiatives in California, where these stoves are being installed in low-income housing, showcasing a viable alternative to gas as costs have risen due to global conflicts. Additionally, gas stoves emit pollution that poses health risks to residents and exacerbates the climate crisis.

Residential energy consumption, which includes gas usage for cooking, contributes to approximately 20% of the United States' greenhouse gas emissions. The nitrogen dioxide released from gas combustion can worsen respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, especially in compact apartments with poor ventilation. Alarmingly, indoor air toxins remain unregulated, despite being potentially five times more concentrated than outdoor pollution.

“It’s unfortunate that we often have cleaner air outside than we do in our own homes; there’s been a lack of focus on the indoor environment,” remarked Misbath Daouda, a scientist at UC Berkeley. She led a 2024 study that indicated individuals who transitioned from gas stoves to electric alternatives were exposed to less than half the nitrogen dioxide emissions.

“Removing gas stoves dramatically reduces that pollution,” Daouda continued. “That is a win-win situation because it addresses both climate goals and health objectives. The technology is also more efficient; every single person in our study group preferred the electric induction stoves.”

Currently, only 3% of homes in the United States utilize induction stoves, which employ magnetic fields to heat cookware directly. However, the expansion of their adoption has faced resistance from the gas industry and some Republican politicians, who falsely claimed that then-President Joe Biden sought to ban gas stoves.

A federal subsidy introduced during the Biden administration, which covered up to a third of the cost for these stoves, has since been eliminated by Republican lawmakers.

“That transition has definitely slowed down,” observed Daouda. “It’s unfortunate that this administration has removed assistance for low-income households to access this technology.”

Nevertheless, several states, including New York, California, Hawaii, Georgia, and North Carolina, are beginning to mitigate this gap by developing rebate programs to facilitate the transition to induction stoves.