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Gas Stoves: Are they really a significant source of pollution?

Gas stove burnerGas Stoves: What risk do they really pose to your safety or the climate?

In late 2022, news stories claimed that the Biden administration was planning to ban gas stoves in America. An official with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) floated the idea of a ban on gas stoves.

Natural gas stoves are used in about 35 - 40% of homes in the US, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Gas stoves have been in use and popular worldwide for more than 100 years. Yet, out of the blue, the Biden administration says gas stoves are unsafe and/or causing climate change.

Is the Biden Administration really planning to ban gas stoves?

Yes. As the uproar about the CPSC ban increased, the administration said they had no such plans. But, in late January 2023, the issue resurfaced as documents showed that federal agencies were, in fact, planning to effectively ban almost all existing models of gas stoves by regulating them out of existence.

The proposed gas stove regulations are from the Department of Energy:

The proposed gas stove regulations would establish new annual energy consumption limits for gas and electric stovetops. The DOE said it has “tentatively concluded” that the new standards would “result in the significant conservation of energy.”

Richard Trumka Jr., a CPSC commissioner, stated, “This is a hidden hazard. Any option is on the table. Products that can’t be made safe can be banned.”

A public meeting on the proposal was held January 31, 2023. All public comments must be submitted to the DOE by April 3, 2023. . You can submit your comments to the proposed rule via the form for public comments to the proposed gas stove regulations at the addresses at the bottom of this page.

 

Comments regarding the likely competitive impact of the proposed standard should be sent to the Department of Justice contact listed in the ADDRESSES section on or before March 3, 2023

But why are they trying to regulate gas stoves out of existence? Some claim that the CO2 they produce is harming the environment. Others say the they are a health hazard to the air in homes. What is the objective truth. Follow on below:

How much CO2 do gas stoves produce?

Natural gas stoves produce water vapor and carbon dioxide by burning natural gas (ethane or propane).

The combustion reaction of Methane is: CH 4 + 2 O 2 → CO 2 + 2 H 2 O + 890 KJ ( Methane ) ( Oxygen ) -> ( Carbon ( Water ) Heat dioxide )
This means, for every 1 molecule of methane, 2 water molecules (steam) are produced, and 1 of CO2.

Keep in mind, YOU produce CO2, also. Every time you exhale.

So do home heating furnaces. Natural gas furnaces account for 60 per cent of all household emissions. Hot water heaters are number 2. Gas stoves are a distant 3rd or 4th place.

In Canada, "Natural Resources Canada" says that in 2019 gas stoves accounted for 370,000 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions, which is only 0.8 per cent of total residential emissions.

Leaking Methane?

Government websites report that natural gas stoves can release small amounts of unburned methane into the air. Methane (also produced by rotting plants, swamps, bovine flatulence, etc), is a greenhouse gas that's 86 times as potent as carbon dioxide (CO2) over a 20-year period. There are claims that gas stoves leak methane all the time. It is difficult to believe that this can be anything other than trivial, since all natural gas is scented with mercaptans, like mercaptanthiol, a powerful odorant, in order to make any leak immediately obvious and detectable. These compounds smell like rotten eggs and can be detected by the human nose in concentrations as small as only 10 parts per billion. In other words, natural gas is intentionally made smelly in very, very low levels to make it easy to detect even the smallest leak. We'd like to see an independent, objective research about methane emissions from gas stoves. The figures gas stove opponents are citing simply don't make sense. .

They also say that methane can be a product of incomplete combustion. Again, any possible health risk is easily eliminated by turning on the exhaust fan above the stove. It seems the regulators might simply suggest that stove manufacturers connect the exhaust fan switch to the stove knobs, meaning the fan automatically goes on whenever the burners are on. Simple solution. And without banning stoves!

Nitrogen Dioxide

Again, according to government websites, gas stoves, at their peak, can produce temperatures of 2912 F (1,600 C). These seems improbably, except in a small part of the center of the hottest part of the flame. If this were more measuring natural gas stove flame temperaturebroadly true, it could literally melt the stove. You'll notice, when we measure the flame temperature, it was typically in the 450 F to 525 F range.

These are the melting temperatures of common metal types:

  • Aluminum: 660°C (1220°F)
  • Brass: 930°C (1710°F)
  • Aluminum Bronze*: 1027-1038°C (1881-1900°F)
  • Chromium: 1860°C (3380°F)
  • Copper: 1084°C (1983°F)
  • Gold: 1063°C (1945°F)
  • Cast Iron: 1204°C (2200°F)
  • Nickel: 1453°C (2647°F)
  • Silver: 961°C (1762°F)
  • Carbon Steel*: 1425-1540°C (2597-2800°F)
  • Stainless Steel*: 1375 – 1530°C (2500-2785°F)

The commonly accepted combustion temperature of natural gas in air is 1960 F and propane is 1967 F. That's the peak flame temperature, which quickly cools in air as you move out of the center of the hottest part of the flame.

Temperatures in the 2900 F range could theoretically produce nitrogen dioxide but even if gas stoves could reach that temperature the amount of NO2 created by stoves is tiny, at a few parts per billion (ppb)..

The Lebel study measured nitrogen dioxide levels of 100 ppb in kitchens, but this was only possible after sealing the room in plastic; which would literally never occur in any real home kitchen. Other studies have found nitrogen dioxide levels as high as 34 ppb after several hours of stove and oven use. It must be also noted that even in this case, this level is below the 53 ppb limit of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA states that, fEPA safe NO2 levelsor nitrogen dioxide levels below 50 ppb, “No health impacts are expected for air quality in this range.”

Meanwhile, most studies do not find hazardous levels of nitrogen dioxide from stove use.

How dangerous are gas stoves?

According to the CDC (admittedly maybe not the best source these days, given how experts are now charging that the CDC vastly overcounted and exaggerated COVID deaths), the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. and the gross numbers of deaths are as follows. Notice that "Gas stove poisoning" nor anything like that, is on the list:

  1. Heart disease: 696,962
  2. Cancer: 602,350
  3. COVID-19: 350,831
  4. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 200,955
  5. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 160,264
  6. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 152,657
  7. Alzheimer’s disease: 134,242
  8. Diabetes: 102,188
  9. Influenza and pneumonia: 53,544
  10. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 52,547

Source: Mortality in the United States, 2020, data table for figure 4

Costs vs. Benefit Analysis of a Gas Stove Ban

Yes, that is what the Federal government is required by law to produce - a cost vs. benefit - for any new regulation.

Operating costs

Switching to all-electric everything is dramatically increasing residential utility costs. The average price of residential natural gas in California in 2020 was $14.14 per million BTU's ( British Thermal Units). New natural-gas furnace or water heaters are about 95% efficient. With gas, the cost would be less, about $13 per million BTU.

But converting to electric at California’s 2020 residential electricity rate means a 400% cost increase to $60.11 per million BTU for their electric stoves, water heaters, and electric heat (compared to gas).

DirectEnergy.com tells us

Most electric ovens draw between 2,000 and 5,000 watts, with the average electric stove wattage coming in at around 3,000 watts. So how much energy does an electric stove use per hour? Assuming an electricity rate of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), a 3000-watt oven will cost you about 36 cents per hour at high heat.

1 kWh is equal to 3,412 BTU. To convert kWh to BTU, you just need to multiply kWh by 3,412 to get the BTUs. so the electric oven uses about 10,000 BTU/hr for $0.36 while the gas stove was $0.13 for the same heat.

Any way you want to analyze it, electric stoves will cost 3 or 4 times as much as gas stoves to operate.  That is, if there isn't a black out or brownout because the wind isn't blowing ot snow has covered the solar panels, or it's raining.

Costs for new stoves

Gas stoves:

Natural gas range cost. between $400 and $600 for smaller ranges and larger models (6 to 6.9 cubic feet) go for about $700 to as much as $1,700. (Pre-2022 inflation numbers)

Electric stoves:

Electric cooktops cost between $500 and $1,500, while induction stoves typically cost between $1,000 and $3,500.

Additional costs:

If you buy an induction stove, you will probably have to buy almost all new cookgear, pots and pans. Aluminum, copper, and ceramic pots and pans won't work with induction stovetops. Only magnetic metal cookware works on induction stoves.

BenefitsU.S> electric power generation sources

Professional chefs prefer gas stoves because they produce instant heat, and heat which can be immediately controlled to any degree. Food can be cooked faster and more precisely with a greater control over the heat. The chef can cook more food, more easily, more quickly and with less waste. Gas stoves tend to last longer than electric stoves. They’re usually easier on cookware. And because natural gas is such an efficient fuel, gas stoves can help cut energy costs, too. Gas stoves also reduce the demand on the already strained electric grid. Switching to electric stoves would likely increase blackouts and brownouts. Not to mention, higher electric costs.

Where does the energy for electric power come from?

So, let's say, you switch from a gas stove to an electric stove to save the environment. Um... where does the electricity that your new stove needs come from? Little windmill fairies flying around your yard? No. As you can see from the EPA's own graphic, 66% comes from fossil fuels.

Some states use more nuclear power than others; see the chart below from electricrate.com with this interative electricity sources by state map. And nuclear power produces no greenhouses gases.



Conclusion

Humans have been using gas stoves for over 100 years. Almost all of us grew up with them. A modern gas stove always includes an exhaust fan, auto-shutoffs, no burning pilot lights.

Who do you believe, a government agency... or your own lifetime of experience with gas stoves?

Consider that the entire federal government deliberately and methodically lied to the American public about the existence of UFO's for 70 years. The U.S government now admits UFOs are real. So, maybe, it's not a good idea to simply trust everything your government tells you, without scrutinizing the data and its sources.

They're coming for your furnace, your gas hot water heater and your fireplace next. And you think they just want to take away your gas fire logs, think again. Natural wood burning stoves are far, far dirtier. That will be next on the ban list. 

  

How and where to submit comments to the proposed rule

 

DOE - Department of Energy:

Proposed gas stove regulations

DOE will accept comments, data, and information regarding this SNOPR no later than April 3, 2023

Interested persons are encouraged to submit comments using the Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/EERE-2014-BT-STD-0005-0096 , under docket number EERE-2014-BT-STD-0005. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

Alternatively, interested persons may submit comments, identified by docket number EERE-2014-BT-STD-0005, by any of the following methods:

  • Email: [email protected] . Include the docket number EERE-2014-BT-STD-0005 in the subject line of the message.

  • Postal Mail: 
    Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, U.S. Department of Energy,
    Building Technologies Office, Mailstop EE-5B,
    1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0121.

    Telephone: (202) 287-1445. If possible, please submit all items on a compact disc (“CD”), in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies.

  • Hand Delivery/Courier: Appliance and Equipment Standards Program, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20024. Telephone: (202) 287-1445. If possible, please submit all items on a CD, in which case it is not necessary to include printed copies.

 

References:

Many references are incorporated into the text above, by the links to the sources. Below are additional references.

  1. Classic Junk Science Biden admin seeks ban on gas stoves based on single meta-analysis co-authored by WEF partnered climate activist group seeking ‘carbon free buildings’
    WaPo claim: "Scientists say a growing body of research shows that gas stoves pose a threat to the planet and public health.”
    Climate Depot.com
  2. Washington Examiner, Yes, it's real: Joe Biden's Department of Energy just moved to ban nearly all gas stoves
    by Rep. Debbie Lesko March 14, 2023. "Based on the Department of Energy's own analysis, gas cooktops at the max-tech level represent just 4% of current market share and exclude all conventional free-stand ranges. Any rule that causes 96% of the products available today to be eliminated from the market is an extreme regulation. In fact, it is essentially an outright ban on gas stoves."
  3. "No, new study does not link gas stoves with asthma in children" - JunkScience.com
    The new study the Consumer Product Safety Commission wants to rely on to ban gas stoves is classic junk science. Steve Milloy of JunkScience.com: The study results, including the component studies, are weak statistical associations — i.e., noise range correlations. Asthma is an allergic disease. There are no allergens in natural gas. So the study has no biological plausibility. No one knows what causes asthma in children and so competing causes could not be ruled out.
  4. Those attacks on gas stoves aren't really about health
    by Steve Goreham, Washington Examiner, February 01, 2023
  5. Scented Candles produce much more air pollution: - Roger Pielke Jr. on Twitter, discussing how there are many common household items, like candles, incense, cooking oils that produce far more indoor air pollution than a gas stove.
  6. Environmental Health Perspectives (warning: this comes from a government website which may be misinformation) (the government lied to the public about the existence of UFOs for 70 years, so now you think they can be trusted about your gas stove, which has also been around your entire life?)
    - Natural gas cooking appliances, which are used by a third of U.S. households, can contribute to poor indoor air quality, especially when used without an exhaust hood.1 Gas stoves emit nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and formaldehyde (HCHO), each of which can exacerbate various respiratory and other health ailments.2,3,4 In a study reported in this issue of EHP, researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Stanford University developed a simulation model to estimate gas stoves emissions and the exposures experienced by different household members.5

Ways to save money AND help the environment:

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Protect your health with these:

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Interesting Reads:

THE PREPPER'S CANNING & PRESERVING BIBLE: [13 in 1] Your Path to Food Self-Sufficiency. Canning, Dehydrating, Fermenting, Pickling & More, Plus The Food Preservation Calendar for a Sustainable Pantry

The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! Paperback

The Citizens' Guide to Geologic Hazards: A Guide to Understanding Geologic Hazards Including Asbestos, Radon, Swelling Soils, Earthquakes, Volcanoes

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming

Book: The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History Paperback




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