Dr. Elizabeth Sawin✨

Prediction: 2023 will be the year that induction stoves and heat pumps will become subsumed in the culture wars.

As in "coastal elites use pronouns, e-bikes, and induction stoves."

(Unless this has already happened and I haven't noticed, in which case it wouldn't be much of a prediction.)

And..are there folks working on communications campaigns to prevent this, cause it seems likely to me that fossil fuel interests are working on campaigns to encourage it.

Jan 11, 2023 at 2:56pmWeb
Show threadLazarou Monkey Terror 🚀💙🌈Jan 11, 2023
@bethsawin they're going to have people huffing gas right out the stove for "health benefits", aren't they?
Show threadGenevieve GuentherJan 11, 2023
@bethsawin Did you see the graphic of a gas tank rendered gun-rights design that Ted Cruz tweeted with the tag line "come and take it"?
Show threadDr. Elizabeth Sawin✨Jan 11, 2023
@DoctorVive no, missed that too - guess it's less my powers of prediction and more a predictable (but effective) playbook
Show threadGenevieve GuentherJan 11, 2023
@bethsawin Well, you know the playbook—I think that's what it is.
Show threadAzim EssajiJan 11, 2023
@bethsawin We installed a heat pump this summer, and are about to buy an induction stove, so I guess this makes me a culture warrior?
Show threadJustMeJanisJan 11, 2023
@aessaji @bethsawin May I ask about the cost and installation of your heat pumps?
What conditions must be met to install heat pumps? Is concrete required?
Show threadAzim EssajiJan 11, 2023
@JustMeJanis @bethsawin I think we paid C$12,000 for the heat pump/furnace combo. There are substantial (Canadian) federal government incentives of about $5,000, which we have not yet received. The heat pump and furnace (for when the outside temp is below 5C) are Carrier, and we went through Rona. Other companies (Costco, Home Depot) were much more expensive for heat pumps.
Show threadAzim EssajiJan 11, 2023
@JustMeJanis @bethsawin There was no concrete required. The heat pump is anchored to patio stones, just like the old AC was.
Show threadJustMeJanisJan 11, 2023
@aessaji @bethsawin awesome! That was a concern as we are buying an older two story home. Hubs thought all the coils in the floor had to be concreted. IDK exactly I'm just trying to learn.
Show threadJustMeJanisJan 11, 2023
@aessaji @bethsawin thank you! I'm in the states, we get rebates too but wanted an idea on my budget. We will go all in as finances allow.
Thank you again!
Show threadRachael LJan 11, 2023
@bethsawin I’m somewhat hopeful folks talking about the risk to children will complicate that polarization through. Over 40% increased risk of asthma developing in kids living in homes with gas stoves. https://www.distilled.earth/p/i-measured-the-pollution-from-my
I Measured the Pollution From My Gas Stove. It Was Bad.

Here's what I learned putting air quality monitors all over my house.

Distilled
Show threadIrinaJan 11, 2023
@bethsawin ... doesn't everybody use pronouns?
Show threadVivek GaniJan 11, 2023

@bethsawin Is this not more of a nuanced contextual thing? I've been starting to replace natural gas appliances for alternatives, and yet I'm also really interested in small-scale #biodigesters + #biogas stoves, rocket mass heaters, architecting better ventilation setups, etc. where appropriate.

The #electrifyeverything movement has to also think about #materialblindness , lifetime duration, rebuildability, electricity transmission, etc. or it'll breed it's own divisions.

Show threadDr. Elizabeth Sawin✨Jan 11, 2023
@vivekgani I really agree, not to mention efficiency and do we need this service at all for well-being, do we need to each own one individually, and so on.
Show threadClinical RawlsianJan 11, 2023

@bethsawin And like so many other culture war issues, it will vanish within a few years when right-wing media finds something else to talk about and the hold-outs wonder why they didn't make the switch sooner.

I'm old enough to remember when Howard Dean was ridiculed for being a "latte drinking, sushi eating" liberal. Even in the deepest red counties of America today, you can find somewhere to buy sushi and/or a latte.

Show threadjohn lehetJan 12, 2023
@bethsawin The thing is, induction stoves are so fantastic. We ditched the gas stove last spring, got a decent induction stove, and I've never loved a stove like this. It has added a whole new range to my cooking because of the higher temps and more control. I have become an even more enthusiastic and adventurous cook on account of it. 10 out of 10. They can huff gas fumes, but they are missing out on something great.
Show threadChristie DudleyJan 12, 2023
@bethsawin @AlxLndOMountain Induction stoves have been around and available for well over a decade. The problem is they don't work with regular cookware, which means your existing kitchen is obsolete and you can't use any of the pots and pans your mother will inevitably give you in the future. Plus, without pro-chef cookware available, the choices are unhelpful.
Show threadAlex is always organizingJan 14, 2023
@longobord @bethsawin they work with anything magnetic. Can't use calphalon but cast iron is right there...