The Dangers of Using Your Gas Range or Oven for Heat

Research by Diana Hernández, PhD, associate professor of sociomedical sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, shows that long-term disinvestment in the building quality of housing for lower-income Americans has resulted in draftier, poorly insulated homes that are far less energy efficient than what higher-income Americans can afford. This also affects older Americans who frequently cannot pay for home improvements that would create a more energy-efficient environment. Hernandez’s research has also shown that low-income households pay far more in energy costs, in relative terms, than middle- and high-income Americans.

Poorer households may also resort to using the gas range for heat because their landlords simply do not provide it. “It’s very common for landlords not to provide heat and hot water in the winter as a way to save money," says Judith Goldiner, an attorney in charge of civil law reform at New York’s Legal Aid Society. Goldiner says that even though there are laws in New York State and other jurisdictions to prevent landlords from denying these necessities, the inspector calls to inform the landlord they’re coming to look at a building whenever there’s a complaint. “So the landlord will put on the heat when the inspectors come, then turn it off when they leave.” Goldiner says that inadequate heating is the most common complaint among her lower-income clients during heating season. 

This failure to provide ample warmth can have deadly consequences: Hernandez says that a lack of heat was a contributing factor to the deadly fire in the Bronx last winter that killed 17 people. She says that while authorities pointed to a lack of smoke detectors and working fire doors as root causes of the fire, "It’s really about inadequate heating and the fact that people have to use a space heater nonstop. We used to say the Bronx is burning, but really the Bronx is freezing.” 

Federal assistance is available for those unable to afford heat, but data shows that few of those eligible for it actually receive it. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is supposed to provide funding to “reduce the risk of health and safety problems that arise from unsafe heating and cooling situations and practices,” alleviate the tremendous cost of fuel, and to help with upgrades. But according to the Congressional Research Service, barely 20 percent of eligible Americans receive this aid. 

When cooking with a gas range, it’s crucial to use a range hood to exhaust NOx, carbon dioxide, and other potentially hazardous chemicals to help minimize the risk of exposure, says Ashita Kapoor, CR’s associate director of product safety. “A range hood that is located directly above the gas range has been shown to significantly reduce the concentrations of pollutants,” Kapoor says. People without active venting over their cooking surface should open a window or door to bring in fresh air, she says. 

But using a gas range for heat is another story: CR’s April survey shows that more than one in four (28 percent) of consumers with household incomes under $30,000 do not have ventilation systems, and opening a window or door defeats the purpose of running the range or oven to warm the home. CR senior editor Mary H.J. Farrell has reported on space heaters for more than a decade and acknowledges that they are not a long-term solution to the problem of a drafty home or a landlord denying heat. But she says that a space heater can be much safer than heating with a gas range and can also be a relatively affordable home heating source. Some of CR’s best-rated space heaters can heat a 200-square-foot room in 15 minutes and cost less than $100. 

When it comes to buying and using a space heater safely, Farrell recommends choosing only a unit that has scored very good or excellent in the hot surface category, especially if you have children or pets in the house. “That rating basically means you won’t get burned,” if you come into contact with the heater, she says.

Farrell says that today’s models are safer than many that were sold in the past, and that most now shut off automatically almost immediately if they’re tipped over. Even so, she says that you should always turn off and unplug a space heater when you leave a room and never leave it on while you’re sleeping. To avoid the risk of shock, you should also never use a space heater anywhere near water.