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Comment by mhb | Hacker News Reader

That and gas stoves bad.

The whole bit about gas stoves I have no doubt is a pretty typical astroturf campaign from the fossil fuel industry. They have shamelessly made up pro-gas nonprofits using fake personas, paid social media influencers to promote gas stovetops, and are likely behind the current "gubmit wants to take away your gas stove" trend that's drumming up online drama.

One doesn't even need to look at climate impact to say gas stoves are bad, but focus the narrative on that one aspect and you can get climate deniers hyperventilating and defending their gas stovetop with statements like "you'll pry my gas stove from my dead hands". But really, economics are going to kill them all the same - induction stoves are dramatically more energy efficient, have the same benefits of fast thermal response, and don't pose a gigantic risk to life and limb every time you turn them on (or leave them off, for that matter).

Gas stoves bad, yes. If you do a modicum of research you can see that they cause indoor air pollution (and most people don't have real hood vents to outside the building).

Google Trends: "heat pump", "gas stove":

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2021-01-10%202...

The 'gas stoves bad' movement isn't a push, it's a pull.

I think the underlying reason for it is that lots of engineering types got air quality sensors during corona, and noticed PM levels spiking from cooking. Or just people getting more IAC-conscious in general.

This technology connections YouTuber I've seen pop up in lots of discussions on these topics.

gas stoves are bad

I don't understand why this is contentious. You're burning gas inside your house.

That's what is funny to me too -- they're basically phasing out all furnaces and hot water heaters that aren't direct vent (bringing in combustion air from outside) because it's so problematic to have gas-burning appliances in your home. Yet we just burn gas stoves -- some of which are massive without question...

If you were to use all of the burners on this stove on their highest setting, it would consume more BTUs than a 6-ton Furnace! And it just vents into your indoor air: (https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cosmo-36-in-6-0-cu-ft-Commercial...)

Most commercial stoves require a vented hood. Home depot may not tell you this, but the manual of the stove will.

Apologies that link was broken -- but that was a "Commercial Style" stove for a home, not actually a commercial appliance. In any case vents are a really bad solution.. but they're inefficient at removing fumes, are usually undersized and too far from the cooking surface, and most people don't use them because they're obnoxiously noisy when running at the proper speed.

A friend of mine just remodeled their kitchen -- they got all the permits and sign-offs, and their AHJ allowed a gas stove in the island with no venting at all. Inspector told them they should open a window if they were doing a lot of cooking. It's actual madness.

https://i.imgur.com/ApCIyzS.png

“Solution is bad when you don’t do it!”

Is it a "solution" when it's completely optional and rarely done correctly? This whole discussion reminds me of the 80s TV interviews that made the rounds this week about people complaining the government was infringing on their right to have a beer in the car on the way home from work (https://www.tiktok.com/@cali_nostalgia/video/719704298970805...).

"It's my god given right to poison my family with CO and NOx!"

> Is it a "solution" when it's completely optional and rarely done correctly?

Yes, because it fucking works. This isn’t some network effect thing where everyone has to do it correctly.

It’s like saying diet & exercise isn’t a solution to obesity because it’s completely optional and rarely done correctly. Absolute stupidity.

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