Actions Around the Home
The Frog will explore The Climate Action Handbook: A Visual Guide to 100 Climate Solutions by Heidi Roop in the first 100 days of 2024
In the first `100 days of 2024 we will explore 100 climate solutions that may “empower you to evaluate, engage, and act” to address on-going climate change as an individual on your terms.
Watch out! The Democrats are coming for your gas stoves!
No. Not really. But wherever you see open combustion, it should cause you to stop and think. As a chemist, when I see the flame on a gas stove I see a combustion reaction where atmospheric oxygen reacts with methane (natural gas) to liberate the heat we use to cook food and boil water. If this was my chemistry class, the correct answer for “provide the balanced chemical equation for the complete combustion of methane” is this:
So we focus on the fact that every time you turn on your gas stove, you are doing kitchen chemistry with implications for the climate and your indoor air quality.
If it was indeed complete combustion as shown, for every kilogram of methane you burn, you produce 2.7 kg of carbon dioxide emissions. Too bad carbon dioxide is odorless and colorless or it would be easier to visualize the greenhouse gases you produce while you wait for the tea kettle to boil. In addition to carbon dioxide pollution, you also emit unreacted methane, which is a more powerful greenhouse gas.
The real issue for indoor combustion on gas stoves, however, is the side reaction that takes place in the open flame. The nitrogen in Earth’s atmosphere nitrogen also reacts in the flame on your stovetop and produces the reaction products NO and NO2, collectively referred to as NOx. It is this NOx pollution inside your home that is the key concern you should have when you use your gas stove.
The same sort of reactions (hydrocarbons reacting with oxygen and nitrogen) take place in the engine of your car. Before the mandated use of three-way catalytic converters in cars starting in 1981, our cities looked like the picture below, mainly from the NOx pollution. NOx is also the main precursor to “acid rain”.
Three-way catalytic converters make sure that the only emissions from your exhaust are “clean” carbon dioxide, nitrogen gas. and water. Through the actions taken based on the Clean Air Act we have come to expect that we will not see billowing clouds of brown NOx pollution emanating from our cars and accumulating in skies. We have learned to enjoy breathing clean air.
Notice that your gas stove does not have a catalytic converter. There is nothing at all you can do to prevent the production of NOx when you use your gas stove. If ventilation is poor, indoor NOx pollution can build up to unhealthy levels, even if the air outside it clean and clear. In this study, the “data suggest that families who don’t use their range hoods or who have poor ventilation can surpass the 1-h national standard of NO2 (100 ppb) within a few minutes of stove usage, particularly in smaller kitchens”.
Note that in houses that are up to code, this is only a problem with gas ranges. For gas dryers, furnaces, and water heaters the combustion products are vented to the outside. Including the carbon dioxide pollution.
NOx can cause respiratory issues, especially asthma. Children in homes with gas stoves show as high as a 42 percent higher risk for asthma compared to homes with an electric stove. The majority (66%) of homes in the US have electric stoves.
It is an attractive notion to live in a house that does not emit any carbon dioxide directly during normal operations (part of your personal Scope 1 emissions). Converting to all electricity may seem attractive, but first attend to your Scope 2 emissions – if your utility is not substantially renewable, then you have to account for that in your carbon footprint calculation.
Converting your whole house to electric may be a daunting and expensive undertaking, especially for older homes that may need upgraded electrical service. There resources to help you explore your options. And remember the Federal tax incentives for energy efficiency when you calculate the cost. These upgrades have the biggest overall impact on climate change mitigation.
If you have a gas stove and are concerned about indoor air quality, you can can take some steps to make sure you use it with proper ventilation. Don’t rely on your hood exhaust unless it is actually vented to the outside – if you have a ductless hood, it is merely circulating the kitchen air through a carbon filter that is unlikely to help much with the NOx pollution.
If you are considering switching from gas to electric stoves, you should follow a checklist before you commit. You are likely going to require an electrician to install the required higher voltage service in your kitchen.
If you do commit, you should definitely consider an induction unit. The ceramic cooktop uses electromagnetic coils to induce metal pans to warm and cook food. They are more expensive, and you may have to change your cookware and cooking techniques, but induction units do not degrade indoor air quality, and are inherently safer and much more energy efficient than gas stoves in terms of GHG emissions.
Given the expense of these type of home improvements, indoor air quality is definitely an energy equity issue. Low-income families may be forced to endure lower indoor air quality if they are not able to make the investments. If you are able to, contact your state and federal official and keep pressure on them to support subsidizing upgrades for those less fortunate and adopt uniform codes for new homes and rental properties to ensure safety indoors.
As Heidi says, “healthy air at home (and outside) shouldn’t be a privilege but a right”.
Keep in mind that 40 percent of the global population are at even greater risk for health impacts from cooking because they use wood, charcoal, dung, and coal to cook their food. Solar ovens are a potential solution in some places.
Next Up: Climate Action in 2024 – Day 56: Be Thoughtful About Air-Conditioning
#rescuethatfrog
Email: rescuethatfrog@gmail.com