New consumer guide highlights the clean air and cooking benefits of induction cooktops

Media Contacts
Matt Casale

Former Director, Environment Campaigns, U.S. PIRG Education Fund

BOSTON – As a growing number of studies have shed new light on the health and environmental harms of gas stoves, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and Environment America Research & Policy Center are releasing a new consumer guide that provides information on how to protect American families and the environment by switching to induction cooking.

Cooking with gas can lead to dangerous levels of air pollution in homes that can lead to or worsen the symptoms of respiratory illnesses including asthma. Gas stoves are also contributing more to climate change than previously thought because many of them continuously leak methane — even when turned off. 

“The more we learn about gas stove pollution, the more clear it becomes: we need to stop cooking with gas in our homes,” said Matt Casale, U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Environment Campaigns director. “That’s where induction comes in. Induction cooktops are faster, cleaner and safer. Induction is the future of cooking, here today.”

Induction cooktops use magnetism to heat metal cookware. When an induction stove or cooktop is turned on, electric currents underneath the smooth cooking surface create a magnetic field within the cookware being used. This direct transfer of energy results in instant, efficient heating: In fact, induction cooktops heat up faster than both gas and traditional electric coil cooktops, with some models boiling a pot of water in just two minutes

Induction cooktops are also three times as energy efficient as gas stoves and nearly 20% more efficient than electric resistance – meaning they help protect the environment and can help save consumers money on utility bills. Moreover, induction cooktops produce less indoor air pollution than gas stoves because they rely on electric energy rather than an open flame. 

“Induction cook stoves can lead to less indoor air pollution and cleaner air for us to breathe in our homes,” said Johanna Neumann, senior director of Environment America Research and Policy Center’s 100% Renewable Energy Campaign. “Not only does induction stoves offer superior cooking performance — like boiling water in only a few minutes — but you no longer have to worry about methane escaping from the stove and contributing to global warming. Today, a new technological revolution is truly underway to replace fossil fuel cooking with induction.”  

Induction stovetop options are available at several different price points. Consumers can choose everything from a full induction range with multiple burners on top of an oven, to just the cooktop, which can be installed in a counter or on a kitchen island. For people who want to try out induction cooking before making a larger purchase, or who don’t have the ability to swap out their existing stove, the guide recommends using a low-cost portable plug-in induction hub. These can be purchased at many major retailers or can sometimes be borrowed from local public libraries

“The kitchen should be a place of bonding,” said Casale. “Where Americans can come together with their loved ones to cook, eat and talk about their days. Where kids can sit at the table and do their homework. It should not be a place where our families are exposed to toxic pollution that can make us sick. Induction technology is helping to make that a reality.”

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