Technical Director Berkeley Air Monitoring Group, Inc. Berkeley, California
California’s San Joaquin Valley is in the 90th percentile for pediatric asthma statewide, as well as environmental exposure risk from PM2.5 air pollution. Recent studies and corresponding media attention have raised concerns, particularly regarding childhood asthma and exposures to gas stove emissions in homes. This ongoing study is investigating air quality impacts following a gas-to-electric stove transition by leveraging the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) program providing free induction stove upgrades to low-income rural households. Homes are being selected among eligible CPUC program participants (target n=75 with electric heating and cooking), matched by a group of homes using biomass and propane appliances (target n=75). Each home is monitored monthly for pollutants, including PM2.5, NO2, NOx, and CO. Data from the first 84 homes indicate significantly lower NO2 levels in electric (1.6 ppb) compared to gas stove homes (12.9 ppb). NOx levels mirrored this trend. Average CO levels were low in both study groups, but with notable high outliers in gas stove homes. PM2.5 levels showed minimal differences, aligning with expectations as gas stoves emit negligible PM2.5. These findings suggest that induction stoves contribute to reduced indoor NO2 and NOx levels.
Learning Objectives:
By attending this session, attendees will:
Upon completion, session attendees will understand how to integrate air quality measurements into electrification programs' programmatic rollout.
Upon completion, session attendees will understand how an electrification program impacted indoor air pollution in disadvantaged communities.
Upon completion, session attendees will gain an understanding of the study design and monitoring techniques used to measure the indoor air pollutant concentrations in homes transitioning from gas to electric cooking and heating appliances, including the process of demographic matching, seasonal variation considerations, and the specifics of pollutant tracking (PM2.5, NO2, CO, CO2, BC).
