New York – For years, Ed Yaker, treasurer of a cooperative in New York City with almost 1,500 units, and other members of the Board have treated with gas leaks. It can mean that the gas in a complete building is off, leaving residents unable to use a stove for months until expensive repairs are carried out on the gas lines.
So Yaker was everything when he learned of a California startup called copper that made an electric stove and an oven that could simply connect to a regular output. The elegant standard electric induction stove of four burners works with 120 volts, which means that there is no need to pay a license electrician thousands of dollars to requern to 240 volts, which many electric stoves require.
“In terms of ‘, is this the way to follow?’ It is obvious, ”said Yaker, demonstrating a liter of water that boasted in about two minutes.
Then there are the health benefits of cooking with electricity. Gas stoves, which use 47 million Americans, release pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide that has been related to asthma and benzene that causes cancer.
“You wouldn’t stop on the escape tube of a car that breathes the escape of that car. And yet, almost 50 million households are on a gas stove, breathing the same pollutants in their homes, “said Rob Jackson, an environmental scientist at Stanford University and principal author of a study About the contamination of gas cuisine.
“I had a gas stove until I started this line of research. Seeing pollutant levels immediately increase every time I turned on a burner, or my oven, it was enough to change “to an electric stove, he said.
Induction stoves are also a way of addressing the considerable amount of climate change that comes from buildings: kitchen emissions, Heating and cooling life spaces and hot water.
In the case of gas stoves, approximately half of the heat of the flame escapes the room. Electrical stoves compared can be up to 80% efficiency. Of these, induction stoves come out at the top with up to 90% efficiency partly because they only heat where the surface contacts the pot.
Only the presence of a gas stove in a home contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, even when it is not activated. Jackson’s team found Methane bleeding stoves, the main component of natural gas, when they are turned off, loose accessories and in connections between the stove and the wall. It was estimated that the climatic impact of leaks with leaks on US homes was comparable to carbon emissions of 500,000 cars with gasoline.
The stove contains an intelligent battery, which means that it can be charged when the electrical speeds are low, which allows people to cook without incurring maximum rate electric loads.
The new copper stoves are not cheap. The first users depend on government incentives to cover the cost. When Yaker, who worked as a teacher and was a saver, bought his, cost $ 6,000 and a federal tax credit for clean energy appliances reduced him to $ 4,200.
The manufacturer now has an agreement with the New York City Housing Authority to buy 10,000 stoves at a maximum price of $ 3,200 each, which will arrive in 2026.
Eden Housing in Martínez, California, modified one of its 32 -apart -copper stoves using state and local programs. The affordable housing group plans to buy more.
“It’s great, it looks good and is easy to clean,” said Jolene Cardoza, about the new device. The asthma of her adult daughter was irritated by her old gas stove when she came to bake and is happy that copper does not release pollutants.
Other tenants found the transition to more potholes induction cooking.
“I really don’t like the way I cooks my food in the oven,” said Monica Moore, who notices a difference in the texture of his corn bread. It is impressed with the speed with which the water boils, but it is lost to cook with a flame and said it was a nuisance to change their pans with which they are compatible with induction stoves.
However, for Jackson, change is important.
“I think that closing the gas to our homes and electrifying our homes is one of the best things we can control individually to reduce our personal greenhouse gas emissions. I think of cars and houses as the two places to start to reduce our greenhouse gas footprint, ”said Jackson.
___
Associated Press’s climatic and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards To work with philanthropies, a list of followers and coverage areas financed in Ap.org.
