Out of Gas, In With Justice
WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s Out of Gas, In with Justice pilot studied the feasibility and benefits of electrification in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) by comparing improvements to air quality and participant satisfaction between ten apartments with induction stoves and ten with their existing gas stoves. It is the first study of its kind to focus on the effects of residential cooking electrification with tenants in-place in an urban public housing setting with low-income residents and residents of color. To help understand the health and social implications of changes in indoor air quality when transitioning from gas to induction cooking, this pilot reports results from three study approaches: (1) week-long air monitoring periods in each home during residents’ normal daily activities; (2) air monitoring during a standardized Controlled Cooking Test (CCT); and (3) stove usability focus groups. This pilot offers lessons for policymakers, public housing agencies, and affordable housing providers on cooking electrification and its impact on indoor air quality, social acceptance of electrification measures, and infrastructure challenges for existing housing in environmental justice communities.