Gas Cooking: A Hidden Danger in Our Homes

Yesterday, I was invited to Parliament for a powerful policy workshop on electrifying cooking — and why it matters for public health, equity, and the climate.

Hosted by the Global Action Plan UK and sponsored by Rt Hon Afzal Khan MP, the event brought together researchers, housing professionals, medical experts and campaigners for a critical conversation about one of the most overlooked health and climate risks in our homes: gas cooking.

The format of the day worked really well. Crammed into an engaging 2-hour workshop, GAP and Clasp managed to cover the size and shape of the problem with academic and medical research, host a panel of experts discussing challenges on the ground, present a detailed and engaging case study of real-world change, and focus on actionable and data-driven solutions, at home, across housing estates and nationally with clear policy pathways, targets and milestones! Here’s the detail:

More Than Carbon Monoxide

Many people know gas cooking appliances can release carbon monoxide when things go wrong. But the real concern is what happens when they’re working as intended.

• Gas cooking appliances exposed users to levels of indoor air pollution that would violate UK outdoor air pollution regulations

• CLASP data from 250 UK homes showed Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) levels from gas cooking exceeded WHO and UK air quality limits across entire households - not just in kitchens, but in bedrooms and living rooms too. Even with windows open and extractors on, harmful pollutants persisted about daily and hourly limits.

• Children exposed to gas cooking are significantly more likely to develop asthma - it’s estimated that gas cooking is responsible for around 557,000 cases of childhood asthma in the UK and 1 in every ten cases globally.

• In the UK, gas cooking contributes to an estimated 40,000 years of life lost due to NO₂-related conditions such as COPD, pneumonia, and asthma.

  
  

Even with windows open and extractors running, these pollutants remain dangerously high. “ventilation” isn’t a solution – studies have shown that most people don’t use their kitchen ventilation systems properly, and even when they do, it rarely brings levels below harmful thresholds – often because it is in fact recirculating air around the room, rather than ventilating it outside!

Invisible Pollutants, Unseen Harm

Gas also leaks when you’re not cooking day and night. A whooping three-quarters of gas-fired hobs and ovens harmful pollutants are released when its off! Even when not being used, they almost constantly release small amounts of unburned methane and cocktail of VOCs (volatile organic compounds), including benzene - a known carcinogen linked to leukaemia. These emissions aren’t high enough to smell or explode - but they are high enough to harm. In research discussed by Dr Yannai Kashtan of PSE (CA, USA), UK homes performed especially poorly and were found to have 30 times higher benzene concentrations than those in the US.

You won’t smell it. You won’t see it. But it’s in your home.

Despite the documented risks, there is currently no legislation or policy framework in place to warn UK consumers about the risks associated with gas hobs or encourage the uptake of cleaner, electric alternatives.

No labelling. No warnings. No support to switch.

Educating the Public

Public awareness of these issues is alarmingly low. In fact, many across society in fact have a preference for gas cooking. How much “wok-hei” can you get without a flame? There’s a persistent belief among some demographics that gas is faster, more controllable, and more “professional” (think 1970s red radiant rings).

With electricity 4-5x the price of gas, many think electric cooking is more expensive than gas. Engineers, manufactures, academics and foodservice operators/equipment professionals might know about the water boil test, but the average member of the public might not appreciate that gas takes 13 minutes to bring water to 90°C. Induction hobs? Just six minutes. Induction is more than 90% efficient converting power to heat compared with as little as 30-40% for some gas hobs - significantly cheaper

Marketing matters! Decades of marketing have oriented public opinion to view gas as a safe, clean, and “natural” product. The market share still bears that out with approx. 60% of domestic hob sales still being gas in 2020!

But the truth is: natural gas is neither safe nor clean when used indoors. The case for change is overwhelming - and the solutions already exist.

And while induction hobs can be more expensive up front, they are:

• Faster

• Safer

• Cleaner

• More energy efficient and cheaper to run

  
  
  

  

  

  

  
  
  

A Retrofit Example

The removal of my own gas cooker and hob occurred quite literally the day after I bought my money-pit renovation nightmare house back in 2017 (also the week I graduated my Doctorate in energy and carbon reduction from foodservice operations – ha!). This week, Global Action Plan shared their much more recent case study in a social housing retrofit pilot with Southway Housing Association in Manchester. On the Arrowfield estate:

• Technical checks ensured electrical capacity and infrastructure were suitable.

• Gas was capped.

• Induction hobs were installed (provided by Beko).

• Pans were supplied (from Electrolux).

• Tenants received full training and regular engagement

  
  

The results? Every household reported improvements. They found induction easier, faster, safer. Some reported fewer asthma flare-ups. One resident, previously concerned due to memory and mobility issues, said she felt safer knowing she could no longer leave the gas on. All loved how easy they were to clean.

Where We Go from Here

Electric cooking is clean, safe, and efficient — and yet gas connections are still being installed in new homes. In the context of national house building targets - we need policy to urgently catch up:

• Retrofit schemes must include cooking, not just boilers and heat pumps.

• A clear phase-out date for new gas cookers should be set.

• Gas hobs should carry pollution labelling, just like tobacco.

• A national campaign to raise public awareness.

• We must shift energy levies off electricity bills and onto fossil fuels, to make clean cooking more accessible - especially for renters and lower-income households. There is a whole separate blog (or thesis!) to be written on decoupling electricity prices from wholesale gas price…

• A clear phase-out timeline — 2025 isn’t too soon.

On a personal level, this issue cuts right to the heart of my work — the intersection of decarbonisation, public health, climate action, and energy justice.

Health, comfort, affordability, climate, home, and work; these things are inseparable. And that’s why I’ve decided to expand my impact beyond the commercial kitchen.

Alongside my ongoing work in the foodservice sector with Hospitality Energy Saving & Sustainability (HESS), I’ve recently co-founded a new venture: Sustain Ability Homes — with my brilliant friend and long-time collaborator, Dr Kate van Someren. Together, we’re helping housing providers and communities improve the performance of their homes, one retrofit, one training session, and one healthier kitchen at a time.

As a parent, as a researcher, as a building performance professional...As someone who’s renovated more homes than she’d care to admit…And as someone working daily to decarbonise kitchens across the UK - I can say this with confidence:

No one should have to choose between cooking dinner and protecting their lungs.

Gas cooking belongs in the past. Electrification isn’t just possible - it’s essential.And in all my years of work, I’ve never met anyone who switched to induction and wanted to go back - it’s time to turn off the gas. For our health, our homes, and our future.

Thanks to Global Action Plan and CLASP for inviting me to share evidence at Parliament and for championing this important conversation. Let’s make this the decade we stopped treating gas as harmless around our food and children - and started breathing a little easier.