Quantifying Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Cooktops and Ovens in Single-Family Homes

Abstract:

Considerable research has examined methane (CH₄) emissions from natural gas production and distribution infrastructure, but relatively little research has focused on emissions of uncombusted or leaked gas after it has reached the consumer. This project aims to detect and quantify methane emissions from stoves, cooktops and ovens from residential homes throughout California. We directly measure methane and carbon dioxide, in addition to supplementary data of NO_x (NO and NO₂) emissions from each burner during idling (off), while on and running at steady state, and during the transient phases while the burner is turning on and off. We scale our measured emissions based on recorded observations of typical appliance usage, which we obtained from a combination of other studies and from a constructed gyroscope logger that we deployed in homes to measure the number of times per daily people turn their stoves on. While stoves use only a small percentage of a typical home’s gas (~3%), preliminary evidence suggests that they may emit a substantial portion of the gas that they use, mostly from the periods of time when the stove is idling.