Even if you have an electric oven, it's still dangerous to use your appliance to heat your home. While electric ranges do not risk carbon monoxide poisoning, they come with their own dangers — house fires.
Appliances that run on electricity do not produce carbon monoxide.
Fireplaces, both gas and wood burning. Gas stoves and ovens. Motor vehicles. Grills, generators, power tools, lawn equipment.
The bottom line is this: both gas and electric stoves can create harmful indoor air pollutants. In some cases, electric stoves are worse than gas stoves. The self-cleaning cycle on a gas stove is responsible for most of the emissions, and above all: a properly functioning range hood can eliminate the concern.
From a health perspective, electric stoves are generally considered to be healthier due to their lack of emissions that can affect indoor air quality. However, proper ventilation is essential regardless of the stove type, especially when using gas.
Compared to cooking with an electric stove, cooking with gas also produces twice as much harmful particulate matter, which can have health impacts on the heart and lungs. Gas stoves can also release formaldehyde, a human carcinogen, and carbon monoxide, which is odorless and can be toxic in high concentrations.
It's Dangerous
Depending on the temperature you use, leaving the stove on too long can melt temperature dials. In a scarier scenario, the longer an electric stove runs unattended, the greater the chance of an electrical breakdown and possible fire.
It takes a considerable time to reach the desired cooking temperature. The glass surface of some electric stoves is not as strong as the rounds of a propane stove. The cooking surface is easily stained. The oven heats up slowly.
Not only is it a fire and burn hazard but heating an apartment or your home with an oven that's on and open can also emit dangerous pollutants and gases into your home. The CDC has long warned to never use a gas range or oven for heating because it can cause a buildup of carbon monoxide inside your home.
Since electric ranges don't use or give off gas, odors coming from them could be caused by caked-on food debris or insulating materials, new parts, tape or a protective coating of oil used in the manufacturing process (if the range is new).
Even if your home is all electric, it's still recommended that you install carbon monoxide detectors, as CO can seep inside the home from an attached garage or from outside. Texas updated its building codes in 2021 to require all homes built in or after 2022 to install carbon monoxide detectors.
The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” If you breathe in a lot of CO, it can make you pass out or kill you.
Gas stoves. Generators and other gasoline-powered equipment. Automobile exhaust from attached garages.
Any of the following could be a sign of a carbon monoxide leak: Floppy yellow or orange flame on your gas hob or oven, rather than a crisp blue flame. Dark, sooty staining on or around gas appliances. Pilot lights that frequently blow out.
If you experience symptoms that you think could be from CO poisoning: DO GET FRESH AIR IMMEDIATELY. Open doors and windows, turn off combustion appliances and leave the house.
One of the most common sources of exposure in the home is the gas or kerosene-powered heater. Gas-powered water heaters, stoves, and furnaces may also produce carbon monoxide.
No. Electric stoves do not raise carbon monoxide levels within a house, as there is no combustion (flame) involved. This said though, it would be a far better idea to use a proper electric space heater or two rather than your stove top burners or oven.
You can leave the door open to allow the heated air to flow throughout the room, but this can create a dangerous area to bump into for children, pets, and even adults. The heat coming from an oven left on for prolonged times can also cause damage to temperature dials and other items nearby.
House Fire
While electric ranges do not risk carbon monoxide poisoning, they come with their own dangers — house fires. When used for prolonged periods, electric ovens can overheat and malfunction.
In addition to using whichever cookware they want, the open flame also allows professional chefs to cook a more variety of foods. With electric or induction cooktops, you can't quite hit those high temperatures to char or smoke certain ingredients, such as tomatoes and eggplants.
electric stoves is clearer when it comes to safety, but no matter the type of stove you have, be sure to keep fire extinguishers in the kitchen or nearby. Gas stoves: Gas stoves are generally considered less safe.
During cooking, electric stoves can emit 3x as much carbon dioxide as gas stoves, which again is a gas known to harm our planet. To their credit, the electric stove does not emit gas when idle so there are more health benefits to you and your family.
Electric Ovens
If you've got an electric oven, it's usually not as big a deal. Electric ovens are basically just big resistors, so running them for a long time usually has no risk of functional damage. But there's still a risk if something that can catch fire is left inside or nearby.
If you forget to turn it off or there's no pot, nothing gets hot. Food cooks faster and induction cooktops are easier to clean.