The ‘expensive oven’ helping Colorado restaurants reduce gas emissions
BOULDER, Colo. — After 14 years of running a restaurant and using electric induction burners, Edwin Zoe is still impressed with the proficiency and quality of electric appliances.
Zoe, owner of Zoe Ma Ma — a Chinese restaurant with locations in Denver and Boulder — is one of several Colorado restaurant owners opting for electric appliances over gas.
“Quite simply, this is not just for the businesses’ sake. We live and operate in a community locally, nationally and globally,” Zoe said. “If we can have the opportunity, we should, by all means, make that commitment, even if that means there should be some learning curve and higher cost up front.”
Induction stovetops are a type of electric cooktop that use electromagnetic energy to heat cookware and cook food. Such stovetops are much more efficient than conventional alternatives, making them better for the climate and easier to work with in a kitchen.
“In a commercial gas kitchen, gas creates a much more hazardous environment because of the gas that’s used in addition to the high temperatures involved,” Zoe said. “Electric appliances make for a much more comfortable environment.”
Andrew Forlines, cooking electrification administrator in the Department of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resilience for the city and county of Denver, said implementing electric appliances in restaurants is much better for the environment.
Gas stoves and ovens can make temperatures in the kitchen unbearably hot, often forcing restaurants to use fans or air conditioning to cool things down.
“The direct impacts to users are the reduction of noxious fumes, carbon dioxide, other toxins in gas cooking and the heat,” Forlines said.
Forlines said the city is exploring rebates for restaurant owners purchasing electric stoves and ovens because such appliances can cost more up front, though usually save money in the long-run.
Because the city has not launched an official rebate program, Forlines does not know how many restaurants have made the switch from gas to electric. The switch is not “official,” city policy.
“Yes, it’s an expensive oven, but it’s a cost-effective supplement,” Forlines said.
Currently, the city offers rebates for green technologies like heat pumps, e-bikes and solar panels, but Forlines hopes the city can incentivize both restaurants and private citizens to make the switch from gas to electric kitchen appliances.
“We’ve seen an increase of production capabilities with a lot of them and reduced waste in the form of fuel,” Forlines said.
Zoe said induction appliances are used commonly in Europe and Asia, but the United States has been slower to catch up with the trend. Once the initial costs of the more energy-efficient appliances drop, Zoe hopes other restaurants will take notice and follow behind those making the switch to electrifying their kitchens.
[Related: What’s the true cost of an induction stove?]
“I think it would be foolish for us to think that somehow the global warming we've experienced is not going to cost us,” Zoe said. “Whatever we can do to mitigate that, we should do.”
Kyle Peters, director of operations and one owner of Sexy Pizza, said he and other staff decided on electric ovens after attending the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, an annual convention for pizza-makers around the country.
Peters said the decision took months to make, but after testing electric ovens, Sexy Pizza staff discovered the quality of their pizzas was even better than that of a gas oven, and they could cook more pizzas at once, making the process more efficient.
“We were able to increase the amount of space that we’re able to cook pizzas on and decrease the overall footprint in our kitchen,” Peters said.
An Internet search for electric ovens shows most cost between $700 to $1500. The same search shows gas ovens are about $500 to $1400.
Zoe said his induction stove burners cost about $1000 per burner when he purchased his in 2010, though prices have fallen since.
Zach Martinucci, founder and owner of Rebel Bread, said using electric ovens since the Denver bakery opened in 2018 has given bakers more control over their products, leading to better quality pastries and loaves.
“We can bake a lot of loaves at once and all of them bake really thoroughly,” Martinucci said.
Martinucci recently purchased a new electric oven, which he said provides even better quality and more efficiency.
Forlines said the city does not have a timeline for when or exactly how they plan to incentivize electric ovens, but his position was created with intention of doing so.
Alison Berg is a reporter at Rocky Mountain PBS. alisonberg@rmpbs.org.