Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams Announce Launch of Induction Stove Challenge to Electrify Cooking Systems at New York City Public Housing Apartments

NYCHA, NYPA, and NYSERDA Partner to Issue Request for Proposals Seeking Manufacturers to Produce a New Class of Induction Stove

Program to Lead to Installation of 10,000 Modern, Induction Stoves in NYC Public Housing

Initial Pilot Program to Install Prototype Induction Stoves in 100 NYCHA Apartments

Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams today announced that New York State is partnering with New York City to launch the Induction Stove Challenge through the release of a request for proposal calling on appliance manufacturers to design and produce energy-efficient, induction stoves to replace existing gas stoves while avoiding costly electrical upgrades in New York City Housing Authority buildings. NYCHA, the New York Power Authority, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority first announced the competitive innovation challenge in July, which promises to ultimately lead to the deployment of 10,000 induction stoves in NYCHA apartments.

“Every New Yorker deserves to live in a safe, healthy home," Governor Hochul said. “This innovative new partnership between the City and State will lead to the development of a new class of induction stovetops – ultimately providing NYCHA residents with state-of-the-art appliances in their homes. New York will continue to lead the nation with our commitments to climate justice and innovative clean energy solutions.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said, “After decades of federal disinvestment in public housing — a bedrock for so many working New Yorkers — it’s long past time to get creative about how we build NYCHA for the future. But our administration is and has been ready to go. The Induction Stove Challenge will deliver energy efficient and cost-effective stoves to NYCHA residents in more than 100 apartments, and we will use the results of this important effort to identify any next steps worth taking.”

The Request for Proposal (RFP), which was issued by NYPA on November 3, invites manufacturers to submit proposals that include innovative solutions for new induction stoves that can be installed in older buildings using standard 120-volt, 20-amp outlets. Once one or two manufacturers are selected, they will have up to 24 months to design, prototype, and produce 100 units of the new product for testing during the challenge’s pilot phase. The units will be installed in up to 100 NYCHA apartments, with new cookware provided to each participating household, with the intent of providing best-in-class, comfortable cooking as well as health and quality of life benefits to NYCHA residents. Manufacturers participating in the challenge are required to work with industry testing and safety standards organizations such as Underwriter Laboratories to achieve certification for novel technologies prior to the pilot phase.

Successful testing of the selected product will trigger a large-scale purchase order of at least 10,000 units from NYCHA. The effort will demonstrate to building owners the promise of an affordable conversion to efficient induction cooking, and to manufacturers regarding the potential of a broader residential market for the new induction stove products. The initial purchase will support dozens of NYCHA buildings in fully electrifying their energy systems and displacing fossil fuel use.

To ensure that the new induction stoves can serve a large, national market, NYSERDA is engaging other states, municipalities, and housing providers across North America to generate interest in the results of the challenge. In this way, the challenge will build a pipeline of potential demand from others pursuing cooking electrification, aligning NYCHA’s product specifications with the needs of the broader market. Twelve agencies representing more than 300,000 housing units have already signed up to support the initiative.

Responses to the RFP are due on January 9, 2024.

The Induction Stove challenge is modeled after another successful State-City partnership, the Clean Heat for All Challenge, in which NYCHA, NYPA, and NYSERDA invited manufacturers to develop and produce a new electrification product to better serve multifamily buildings’ heating and cooling needs and hasten the transition to fossil-free heating sources at NYCHA campuses.

The Induction Stove program is representative of NYCHA’s Sustainability Agenda. Launched in 2021, the Housing Authority announced an ambitious recommitment to address climate change. Informed by 10 months of engagement with NYCHA residents, City agencies, community-based organizations, and technical experts, the Authority’s agenda focuses on taking a holistic approach to building renovations and community needs.