Good morning. It’s Friday. Today we’ll look at a pilot program that will bring induction stoves to some Housing Authority apartments.
Ever so slowly, New York’s public housing buildings are converting to energy-efficient electric stoves and heating and cooling systems. But it’s a complicated process that will take time.
Most of the more than 2,400 buildings that are part of the New York City Housing Authority, the largest such agency in North America, were built in the middle of the last century. Maintaining this old housing stock, while making it more energy-efficient, is expensive and tends to be work-intensive.
The gas distribution systems, prone to dangerous leaks, are in dire need of upgrades, which can take months. Since May 2025, there have been nearly 80 gas service disruptions, which can take months to repair. This means that some of the poorest residents in the city must rely on space heaters to stay warm and on hot plates for cooking — both of which can pose a fire hazard — when there are gas outages.
To avoid this risk, improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a goal that is mandated by both city and state laws, the Housing Authority has announced a pilot program that will install induction stoves in 100 residential units.
Induction stoves use an electromagnetic current that transfers heat directly to metal pots and pans, meaning the surface of the range does not get hot. Traditional electric stoves heat the range surface first, while also releasing more heat into the air, making them less energy-efficient (and more dangerous).
Gas stoves also release more heat, and since they rely on burning fuel, they emit greenhouse gases and pollutants, which have been linked to asthma.
The project will “alleviate the amount of service outages and the need for costly capital investments caused by the deterioration of aging gas plumbing infrastructure in our properties,” said Lisa Bova-Hiatt, the chief executive of the Housing Authority, known as NYCHA.
“For a lot of New Yorkers in older buildings, the choice has been to live with aging infrastructure or face expensive, disruptive upgrades,” said Sam Calisch, the founder and chief executive of Copper, the Berkeley, Calif.-based company selected for the pilot. The stoves, he explained, are plug-in ready, so they don’t require upgrades to electrical panels, rewiring or construction inside apartments.
Copper’s stoves use a lithium-iron phosphate battery — the same type found in many electric vehicles — to store energy and contribute it toward cooking heat. The battery also means savings on utility bills, because residents can use its stored energy to cook when there is peak demand for electricity, which results in higher rates, Calisch said. And during an electricity outage, the battery has enough storage to cook three to five meals, he added.
For those concerned about the safety of the batteries, Calisch said that they are different from those found in electric bikes and scooters, which have caused raging, deadly fires in New York City apartments.
The stove batteries meet North American safety standards for stationary energy storage, Calisch said, adding that his company had worked with the Fire Department during the bidding process.
If the pilot is successful, the Housing Authority plans to install 10,000 more stoves. Currently, the agency, which anticipates that the first 100 prototypes will be in place by early next year, is pinning down the locations for the installations.
The induction stove pilot was modeled after another energy-efficiency initiative involving heat pumps, which use electricity to both heat and cool homes. In late 2025, 120 heat pumps were installed in one building at the Woodside Houses in Queens, following a successful pilot two years before.
Heat pumps operate by extracting heat from the chilly outdoor air and then using refrigerants and a compressor to produce heat for homes (to cool them, the process is reversed). The devices also can be set to specific temperatures. Later this year, the heat pumps are set to replace the building’s steam heating system.
The pilot for the heat pumps faced a challenge similar to that with the induction stoves, as both devices typically require expensive upgrades to electrical systems. The Housing Authority, along with the state agencies it works with, issued a challenge to manufacturers to overcome those barriers.
They selected two companies: Midea America, based in Parsippany, N.J., and Gradient, from San Francisco, to provide window units that would plug into standard outlets, similar to air-conditioners (and just like the induction stoves). This meant that the ductwork or electrical upgrades required for larger heat pumps could be circumvented.
Heat pumps are also energy-efficient, operating only when they need to, which can lower utility bills.
One of the first units at Woodside to get a heat pump was the office of the resident association. Tammy Reyes, its president, appreciated the consistency of the heat pump, saying that gas heat could be glitchy across apartment lines. And her office, which was facing boiler issues at the time, was freezing, she said, adding, “It’d be like walking into a refrigerator.” When the heat pump was installed, it offered both reliability and control, she said.
“What I loved about it was you didn’t have to worry about whether you were going to have heat or not,” she said. “And you could adjust it according to the way you liked it.”
Weather
Today will be sunny, with a high around 35 and some gusty winds. Expect partly cloudy conditions and possible snow tonight. Temperatures will fall to around 32.
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In effect until Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day).
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I don’t care whether the mayor’s Black, white, Asian or Latino,” Marc H. Morial, president of the National Urban League, said on the lack of diversity in the Mamdani administration. “You need a leadership team that mirrors the city.”
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Davaughnia Wilson and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at [email protected].
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Hilary Howard is a Times reporter covering how the New York City region is adapting to climate change and other environmental challenges.
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