New rules for gas stoves have been proposed by the Department of Energy following the recent controversy over whether the government would ban them altogether.
The proposed regulations would establish new annual energy consumption limits for gas and electric stovetops. The DOE said it has “tentatively concluded” that the new standards would “result in the significant conservation of energy.”
“As required by Congress, the Department of Energy is proposing efficiency standards for gas and electric cooktops — we are not proposing bans on either,” a DOE spokesperson said in a statement reported by NBC News. “The proposed standards would not go into effect until 2027 and cumulatively save the nation up to $1.7 billion. Every major manufacturer has products that meet or exceed the requirements proposed today.”
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The new rules would also remove a current prohibition on gas stoves with pilot lights that constantly burn, which were banned under a 1987 law. Gas stoves would not be able to meet their new energy limit of 1,204 kBtu per year if they had a constant burning pilot light, according to the DOE.
A public meeting on the proposal was held Jan. 31, and all public comments about it are to be submitted to the DOE by April 3. The comment submission form can be found here.
Gas stoves became a political flashpoint last month after a member of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggested to Bloomberg that they could be banned. The commissioner, Richard Trumka Jr., called gas stoves a “hidden hazard” over their pollution of indoor air.
Some lawmakers publicly came to the defense of gas stoves, prompting a White House spokesman to clarify that President Joe Biden doesn’t support banning them, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The chairman of the CPSC, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, said the commission is researching gas stove emissions and “actively engaged in strengthening voluntary safety standards.”
