GOP efforts to protect gas stoves only burn consumers

A reasonable person would think that reducing strain on our energy infrastructure, bringing down consumer utility bills and protecting the health of kids would be issues that had bipartisan support, yet Congress is considering a pair of bills that would ensure the opposite.

The so-called Save Our Gas Stoves Act and Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act would hamstring federal agencies, like the Department of Energy (DOE) and Consumer Product Safety Commission, from issuing any standards that would protect the health and safety of consumers against the harms of gas stoves and conserve energy in a way that reduces utility bills for consumers.

One of the bills was blocked by House Republicans during a Tuesday vote, for political purposes beyond gas stoves, the other is on the agenda for a vote today.

It seems clear from the titles that the bills’ sponsors and supporters care more about protecting fossil fuel-burning appliances than they care about safeguarding consumers. Republicans say these bills are necessary because (they claim) federal health and safety standards would effectively "ban" gas stoves. However, their stated premise is simply false.

One of the bills on the floor of the House today would stop DOE from finalizing energy efficiency standards for cooking appliances, as is required by law. These standards would ensure that all new stoves on the market meet a basic level of efficiency, using less energy to perform just as well. Around half of the gas stoves for sale already meet these proposed energy efficiency standards. For those that don't, DOE found that simple design changes are sufficient to meet the requirements.

Through extensive research on the topic, DOE estimates the proposed stove standards would save U.S. consumers up to $1.7 billion and avert about 22 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over 30 years of sales.

And while no federal agency is attempting to take gas stoves away from anyone, the argument for limiting, or phasing out, their use in our homes and buildings is strong.

Studies show the picture is grim when it comes to indoor air pollution from stoves. In addition to the primary ingredient of methane, the gas burned in those stoves contains 21 dangerous chemicals, many of which have been linked to cancer, according to a Harvard study. Cooking with gas also significantly increases asthma risks — especially for children.

Evidence shows that homes with gas stoves have concentrations of nitrogen dioxide, or NO2, that are between 50 percent and over 400 percent higher than homes with electric stoves. The Environmental Protection Agency has detailed abundant evidence linking NO2 to cardiovascular effects, respiratory impairment, diabetes, adverse birth outcomes, cancer and premature death, with increased risks to children, people with asthma and older adults.

Furthermore, gas stoves and other fossil fuel-burning appliances, like furnaces and water heaters, are significant sources of outdoor air pollution. Unlike other sectors of the economy, however, there are no substantive federal regulations limiting emissions from residential and commercial buildings, even though these sectors now account for about 40 percent of the nation's total energy consumption and 14 percent of its net greenhouse gas emissions, with 79 million U.S. buildings burning fossil fuels, according to our analysis of data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Moving to pollution-free homes with appliances powered by electricity — which is increasingly sourced from renewable resources — will improve air quality both indoors and outdoors and protect public health. It will also save consumers money on their energy bills.

Building new homes with electric appliances that run on renewable energy is nearly always less expensive than building homes with polluting fossil fuel appliances. And, while there is an upfront expense for new appliances, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) aims to reduce those costs for consumers across all income levels, offering point-of-sale rebates and tax credits for electric appliances and other home upgrades that may be needed to accommodate those changes, like new electrical breaker boxes or improved weatherization.

While the gas industry has worked for decades to manufacture a sentimental attachment to gas stoves, the current generation of electric appliances simply leaves fossil fuel-burning appliances in the dust. An induction stove can boil water in less than 3 minutes and allows greater temperature control, while electric heat pumps provide space and water heating and cooling. And, as new technologies become more widely available and more affordable with IRA's financial incentives, the benefits of electrification will only expand.

This boils down (if you’ll excuse the pun) to one thing: Republicans in Congress are more concerned with winning a battle in the culture war instead of protecting consumers, reducing energy bills, safeguarding public health and improving reliability. Any member of Congress that supports people over appliances should vote no on these bills when they reach the floor this week.

Jessica Tritsch is the director of Sierra Club's Building Electrification Campaign.