Is This Really The End for Gas Stoves?

In the past few months, we have seen several news stories concerning the potential ban of gas stoves used for cooking. So why is a heating, air conditioning and plumbing company thinking about gas stoves? More on that question later! To begin with, we wanted to try and cut through the hype, confusion and inaccurate info to present a summary of the facts and only the facts:

Fact #1:

There are close to 40 million gas stoves in the United States and no, “the Man” is not coming for your gas stove. Yet dozens of cities — and some states — are already moving away from natural gas as part of a growing decarbonization, specifically in new construction homes. This will make it worthless to invest in a gas stove, whether or not they are actually banned.

Fact #2:

Gas stoves have been the subject of arguments due to multiple recent studies that have indicated that emissions from gas stoves may be harmful to your health. Namely, it’s causing respiratory illness and asthma.

Fact #3:

The air within our homes (and businesses) is much less than excellent. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has studied this issue in-depth, sharing findings that indicate indoor levels of airborne pollutants can be two to five times — and occasionally more than 100 times — higher than outdoor levels.

Although gas stoves may help lead to poor indoor air quality, they obviously aren’t the only cause. Others could be:

• Occupants Within the Home: People and pets at home produce carbon dioxide (CO2), odors, vape smoke and pet dander (a common allergen).
• Other Combustion Appliances: Other gas (or wood/oil burning) appliances such as space heaters, fireplaces, furnaces and water heaters.
• Construction Materials and Furnishings: Paints, carpeting, fiberglass, particle board and fabrics may emit harmful substances known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), another common indoor allergen, through what’s known as “outgassing.”
• Cleaning Compounds: Many popular cleaning products may produce VOCs or other chemicals.
• Nearby Soil: Radon gas and moisture may enter the home through the basement or crawl space from the soil surrounding the home.
• Well-Insulated Homes: It may seem counter-intuitive, but homes that are well insulated are “sealed tighter” and as a consequence won’t have as much infiltration from fresh, outdoor air.

Fact #4:

There are formal practices for residential ventilation and satisfactory indoor air quality (IAQ) levels. These guidelines are known by industry experts as the ASHRAE 60.2 standard. Local building codes have largely adopted these standards to identify minimum ventilation requirements and other measures in an effort to decrease any negative effects on your health, resolving both health and safety problems for you and your family.

That being said, the overall performance of your ventilation is not directly tested or audited. Even if it was, it’s highly predicated on climate conditions outdoors, the square footage of the home and other factors. The precise ventilation performance in your average American home is not easily determined.

Fact #5:

It’s still entirely your preference. You don’t have to trash your gas stove and replace it with electric, and you also don’t have to pick between your gas stove and the possibility for poor indoor air quality. Proper and consistent ventilation is the real key to this debate.

First, anytime you cook with a gas stove, you should use the fan on your range hood so the combustion byproducts like smoke and CO gas are safety discharged out of your home. But honestly: how often do any of us use the fan on the range hood?

Which takes us to our next point. There are much more effective whole-home ventilation strategies that will consistently improve your indoor air quality and home comfort while still allowing you to be the #1 chef in your home. Read on to find out more about the available solutions for your home.

So, why is a HVAC company talking about gas stoves? Well, the “V” in HVAC stands for “Ventilation” and “There’s an Expert for That”! To learn more about gas stoves and which system might be best for your home, contact Service Experts at 305-440-1505.