Energy efficient appliances, lighting and equipment are at the intersection of energy security, energy affordability, economic opportunity, and climate action. Our CLASP research shows that driving the widespread adoption of efficient appliances is a key tool to slash climate-warming emissions and improving the health, economic wellbeing, and livelihoods of billions of people, including those in the most climate vulnerable regions.

From 21-29 June, CLASP is bringing Global South-led efficient appliance solutions to London Climate Action Week, exploring how scaling a range of interventions like financing, nationally determined contributions, and more can foster meaningful progress in the fight for people and the planet.

For questions or additional speaking opportunities, please contact Alexia Ross (aross@clasp.ngo)

This CLASP report presents insights from surveys of 8,000 demographically representative adults across eight European countries, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The research provides valuable data for European policymakers on ways to accelerate the transition to cleaner, more efficient electric hobs (cooktops).

The report examines European consumers’ views and behaviours concerning gas and electric hobs, focusing on their usage, preferences, energy efficiency awareness, purchase criteria, health perceptions, ventilation practices, and opinions on potential policy measures.

Key Findings

• Most Europeans support a shift to cleaner, safer, and healthier electric cooking, but they need more exposure to induction technology to be fully convinced of its benefits.
• Supportive pricing and clear information are key factors in encouraging the transition to electric cooking, as consumers tend to prefer more energy-efficient and less polluting products.
• Consumers lack accurate information about the real efficiency of different hob technologies; their views are shaped by their personal experiences and familiarity with the hobs they use.
• Europeans have limited awareness of the impact gas cooking has on indoor air quality and often fail to ventilate adequately while cooking.
• Consumers feel that it’s the manufacturers’ responsibility to reduce pollution from gas hobs, and governments should help support the transition to more efficient and healthier electric cooking.

Recommendations

• Consumers should be able to select the most energy-efficient and least polluting hobs. Ecodesign regulations should remove the least efficient and most polluting options from the market. Clear information on the health risks of gas hobs should be made available through instruction manuals, webpages, or displayed on a future energy label or warning icon on hobs and ventilation hoods.
• National governments should offer incentives to encourage the shift to electric cooking and ensure that electricity prices are competitive with gas.
• Consumer organisations, non-governmental organisations, and forward-thinking producers and retailers should inform consumers about the health risks of gas cooking and the benefits of electric hobs. A successful transition to cleaner, more efficient electric hobs requires consumers to experience a new electric technology firsthand.

The surveys address technical, behavioural, and policy questions related to hob usage, which have been raised by policymakers, industry, and civil society. Detailed results for each country can be found in the annexes.

To ensure objectivity and representative results, CLASP commissioned Opinium Research, an independent polling organisation, to conduct the surveys. CLASP analysed the Europe-wide data and compiled this report, which builds on Opinium’s national analyses and findings.

Visit our Cook Cleaner Europe webpage to view additional resources on gas and electric cooking.

The shift to induction stoves is gaining momentum in professional kitchens around the world, as demonstrated at the Global Cooksafe Coalition’s (GCC) launch in the United Kingdom on 3 June 2024. CLASP participated in the event, along with world-renowned chefs, public health and climate experts, and industry leaders. There was consensus in the call for a rapid transition from fossil fuel powered cooking to healthier, affordable, and safer electric kitchens powered by renewable energy.

Key Takeaways from the Event

• Culinary excellence: Modern electric cooking technologies provide excellent cooking performance for both professional and home kitchens as they offer precise temperature control and the ability to heat food faster.
• Health and safety: Transitioning to electric cooking can significantly improve indoor air quality and reduce health risks associated with gas cooking. Electric cooking also creates safer cooking conditions, with more manageable room temperatures for chefs, compared to open flame stoves. This reduces heat-related stress and fatigue and leads to higher productivity and better physical and mental health.
• Environmental impact: Electrifying kitchens is a critical step in decarbonizing restaurants and homes, lowering climate emissions, and achieving global climate targets.
• Economic viability: Electric stoves are much easier to clean than gas stoves, saving restaurant staff hours each week. In addition, renewable energy combined with electric appliances offers a cost-effective and stable energy solution, reducing dependency on volatile fossil fuel markets.

Top UK Chefs Embrace Electric Cooking

During the event, professional chefs and GCC ambassadors, John Chantarasak and Chantelle Nicholson, along with Chef Douglas McMaster, highlighted the advantages of electric cooking. They demonstrated how modern induction stoves offer precise control and superior cooking quality, dispelling common misconceptions about electric cooking’s limitations.

The Future is Electric

Chefs around the world are increasingly embracing electric alternatives like induction, making it a compelling option for households as well. Innovations in electric cooking technologies cater to all varieties of culinary needs.

By using electromagnetic energy to directly heat cookware, induction stoves produce less ambient heat, creating a safer, healthier, and more comfortable work environment, particularly during busy restaurant shifts. The absence of open flames on electric or induction stoves also reduces the risk of accidental fires and eliminates pollutants caused by burning gas.

Reducing Risks for Healthier Homes

Electrifying kitchens is a solution to growing health concerns. Cooking with gas releases toxic pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene, into kitchens and homes. It puts people at greater risk of respiratory diseases like asthma, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children or those with pre-existing health conditions. There is growing evidence linking combustion-related air pollution with adverse health effects on brain development in young children. For adults, emissions from gas cooking can lead to negative impacts on the brain, respiratory, and nervous systems.

Transitioning to electric appliances and ensuring proper ventilation can help lower the risks of gas cooking. For people who cannot adopt electric options, there are several ways to minimize exposure to gas cooking emissions. Find out how to improve the air quality in your home when you use a gas stove or oven.

About the Global Cooksafe Coalition

As a founding member of the GCC, CLASP supports the coalition’s mission by researching cleaner, more efficient electric alternatives while also addressing the health and environmental impacts of cooking with gas. Together, CLASP and GCC work for a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

More information about CLASP’s research on gas and electric cooking: www.clasp.ngo/cook-cleaner-europe

For more information about the GCC’s launch in the United Kingdom: www.cooksafecoalition.org/grosvenor-lendlease-electric

Despite advancements in electric cooking technologies, millions of households across Europe still rely on gas for cooking. Gas cooking appliances contribute to high levels of indoor air pollution and pose substantial health, environmental, and economic challenges.

CLASP’s has produced incisive factsheets on gas cooking trends in six countries. These provide insights and policy recommendations, covering consumer trends, as well as health, environmental, and cost concerns in these countries:

• France
• Italy
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Spain
• United Kingdom

The Risks and the Solutions

CLASP’s research reveals elevated levels of NO₂ in homes using gas stoves and ovens compared to those using electric alternatives. These levels exceed benchmarks set by World Health Organization guidelines and European Union (EU) and United Kingdom (UK) limits for outdoor air pollution.

• Health Impacts: Exposure to high levels of pollution is known to cause strokes, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma.
• Climate Change: Gas cooking contradicts net-zero and emissions reduction targets, highlighting the need to transition to electric alternatives. The reliance on fossil fuels for domestic cooking contributes to indoor air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, undermining efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
• Consumer Trends: Despite health and environmental concerns, many consumers remain unaware of the risks of gas cooking.
• Cost Considerations: Gas cooking masks significant societal costs. While gas appliances may offer initial cost savings in some cases, the hidden costs associated with indoor air pollution, such as healthcare expenses and environmental impacts, outweigh any apparent economic benefits.
• Policy Recommendations and Regulatory Measures: In the EU and the UK, Ecodesign and Energy Labelling policies provide opportunities to advance energy-efficient and healthier electric alternatives. At the national level, governments can accelerate the transition to electric cooking through electricity tariff reforms, targeted subsidies, awareness campaigns, and holistic support. Incentives and financial assistance programs can encourage households to adopt electric cooking technologies, facilitating a shift towards cleaner and more sustainable cooking practices.

For more information on the topic, visit https://www.clasp.ngo/cook-cleaner-europe/.

The use of fossil gas in cooking must be phased out to meet net zero targets in the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK). Research shows that gas hobs emit harmful pollutants and are less efficient than electric hobs, although public awareness of these issues is low.

Upcoming policy revisions by the European Commission and the UK government offer an opportunity to address these challenges. However, the research available to policymakers does not consider differences in emissions and efficiency between appliance types, potentially leading to a lack of understanding of the costs and benefits associated with transitioning to electric hobs.

To address this knowledge gap, this report provides an overview of the total cost of ownership for gas and electric hobs in the EU and UK. The analysis assumes that these appliances are purchased and installed in 2026.

Findings include:

• Contrary to the perception of gas hobs being cheaper, electric hobs are more cost-effective in a few European countries, particularly in the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden.
• All three electric hob technologies (hotplates, induction, and infrared) offer lower total costs of ownership than gas hobs, on average.
• The average purchase price of induction hobs remains higher compared to other technologies, but moderate government incentives can make induction hobs affordable to more households.
• In the UK, hotplates are the most affordable option. However, the total ownership costs of all three electric hob technologies are quite similar and significantly lower than gas hobs.
• Price fluctuations may impact the total cost of ownership over time.

The European Union’s energy label serves as a tool to inform consumer decisions on energy-efficient appliances. In collaboration with Centerdata and Ipsos, CLASP conducted a study in 2023 across four European countries — Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — to explore the impact of online energy label positioning on consumer decision-making regarding household appliances.

The insights found within this report, alongside additional evidence collected from retailers, suppliers, market surveillance authorities (MSAs), and technical assessments of barriers and opportunities will inform CLASP’s regulatory recommendations and the development of harmonized guidance documents for MSAs and retailers. The evidence gathered will help improve the energy label’s impact.

This report tackles the following questions:

• How does the proximity of the energy label to the product price (low vs. high) impact consumer decision-making on different web pages?
• How does the visibility of the energy label in an online store influence consumers’ decision-making?
• How do the presence and location of the energy label on product pages affect consumers’ purchasing decisions?
• Do consumers use online shopping baskets for product comparison, and does the presence of the energy label in the shopping basket influence their choices?
• Does the energy label impact consumer decisions on price comparison websites? Do consumers actively select products that are more energy efficient?
• How does the presentation of the web store (desktop vs. mobile) influence consumer choices?

CLASP’s study revealed several key findings:

• The exact position of the energy label within web store pages did not significantly affect consumer product choices.
• Consumer engagement with energy label information, such as clicking on energy arrows or viewing product information sheets, was minimal.
• The presence of the nested energy label next to products in shopping baskets and on price comparison websites promoted energy-efficient options and helped increase energy-efficient choices.
• The effects of the presence and position of the energy label on various web pages of a web store (main page, product pages, basket page) did not significantly depend on device type (desktop vs. mobile) used to complete the experiment.

The study’s findings highlight the importance of online energy labeling in guiding consumer choices towards more energy-efficient appliances. While the exact placement of the energy label may have limited impact, its presence in strategic locations within online retail settings can significantly influence consumer decision-making.

In our daily lives, an often-overlooked activity may be impacting our health more than we realize. When we burn gas in our homes, we’re not just preparing meals; we’re cooking up a cocktail of pollutants. These pollutants pose health risks, particularly for vulnerable individuals and those with pre-existing conditions like asthma, according to environmental health expert Frank Kelly, a professor at Imperial College London. Transitioning from gas to electric hobs and ovens can eliminate the health risks associated with gas combustion, Kelly said.

The field study

In 2023, CLASP, in collaboration with TNO and Opinium, carried out the largest indoor air quality study focused on gas cooking ever conducted in Europe to understand the extent of the problem. Researchers provided air quality sensors to 250 households across 7 European countries. Over two weeks, the sensors measured and recorded levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon dioxide, and particulate matter emitted in kitchens.

In kitchens equipped with gas stoves, researchers found that levels of NO₂ often exceed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) air quality guidelines and outdoor air pollution limits in the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK). The study’s findings demonstrate the necessity to improve air quality in our homes, along with a critical need to inform people about the health risks associated with gas cooking and transition to cleaner cooking alternatives.

The hidden cost of cooking with gas

The repercussions extend beyond health; they’re also impacting our wallets. Each year, indoor air pollution related to gas cooking is estimated to cost the European Union around €3.5 billion and the UK government approximately £1.4 billion. These costs include lost earnings, decreased productivity, increased healthcare expenses, and missed educational opportunities.

A recipe for change

Professor Frank Kelly emphasizes that, given the wealth of information linking gas use to health issues and climate impact, “the use of gas is now outdated.” There is a pressing need for change. The most significant decrease in indoor concentrations of NO₂ can be accomplished by making the switch from gas to electric cooking appliances. Accelerating the transition to electric cooking is identified by experts as the most effective solution, alongside raising awareness about the need for adequate ventilation.

To safeguard public health, action is required. Governments, industry leaders, healthcare providers, researchers, and individuals all have a role to play in reducing indoor air pollution related to gas cooking:

• Government: Policymakers across the EU and UK can help accelerate the transition to electric cooking by strengthening appliance standards and establishing energy labels for hobs that inform consumers about pollution levels.
• Industry: Manufacturers and retailers should privilege the production of electric cooking appliances, make the most efficient products more affordable, and discontinue the production of gas hobs and ovens.
• Civil society and healthcare: Advocates should raise awareness of the health risks associated with the use of gas cooking appliances.
• Research: By conducting further studies and fostering innovation, researchers can contribute valuable insights to guide policy decisions and technological advancements.
• On an individual level, adopting cleaner electric hobs and ovens is recommended to limit exposure to NO₂. Ventilating kitchens during and after cooking is a simple, practical step toward mitigating the health risks associated with the use of gas hobs and ovens.

Our culinary choices carry significant health, economic, and environmental weight. Let’s make informed choices to protect our health and contribute to a cleaner future.

CLASP is working with governments to ensure they consider frameworks and incentives that encourage a transition away from gas cooking to electric alternatives.

For more information, visit https://www.clasp.ngo/cook-cleaner-europe/.