Keep Cooking with Gas, It's Here to Stay!

About a year ago, with studies released linking homes with gas stoves to childhood asthma, it was reported the Consumer Product Safety Commission could ban them.

The US Energy Department announced new energy efficiency standards for ovens and stoves, but on January 29^th, when the new standards were released by the US Energy Department, it turns out gas stoves aren’t going anywhere!

At the time, a White House spokesperson said, “The President does not support banning gas stoves — and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is independent, is not banning gas stoves.”

The big takeaway, from the lengthy document is: Not much is changing. The department assured that most gas stoves on the market – 97% – already meet the standards.

The actual target of the new efficiency standards were electric stoves, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project said, ensuring that all new models of smooth-top units use at least 30% less energy than the lowest-performing models today. At least 77% of the electric ranges already meet those standards.

The DOE also seeks to improve the efficiency of 3% of new gas stoves sold. But don’t worry, your favorite gas features will remain.

“The standards will not result in the loss of any consumer-desired features in future models, such as continuous cast-iron grates, high input rate burners, and other specialty burners,” the DOE said in a release.

The goal of this initiative is to is save about $1.6 billion on utility bills over the next 30 years. The energy savings would also benefit the environment, decreasing harmful carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 4 million metric tons over three decades, the DOE claimed.

So, go on, and keep cooking with gas!