A program launching this fall aims to replace thousands of gas cooking stoves in NYCHA-owned buildings with new electric induction stoves.
NYCHA is teaming up with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the New York Power Authority on an initiative called the "Induction Stove Challenge," the agencies said in a news release Monday.
As part of the "challenge," NYPA will issue a request for proposals seeking manufacturers who can create “energy-efficient, electric cooking systems” that will work in older NYCHA buildings, according to the release.
Once NYPA selects its proposals, NYSERDA will buy 100 stoves, and install and test them in 100 NYCHA apartments, authorities said.
Eventually, NYCHA will purchase at least 10,000 electric induction stoves and install them in additional apartments "with the goal of fully displacing gas cooking stoves in NYCHA-owned buildings," the release said.
According to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, induction stoves heat pots and pans by generating an electromagnetic current within the cookware itself. Most pans currently sold are compatible with induction stoves, according to the NYSERDA.
The transition to induction stoves will avoid "costly electrical upgrades" for stove replacements in the selected buildings, the release added.
The program mirrors an earlier partnership between NYCHA and a nonprofit, WE ACT for Environmental Justice, that was able to replace stoves at 10 NYCHA apartments in the Bronx.
"As our administration uses every tool at our disposal to give NYCHA residents the safe, high-quality, affordable homes they deserve, adapting to tackle climate change is a critical piece of our work," Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. "Our city's most pressing crises are interconnected, and so are the solutions we're delivering."