Induction Cooktop Lending Program

This report analyses the pre- and post-survey responses of Pacific Gas and Electric residential customers who participated in the Induction Cooktop Lending Program by borrowing a countertop electric induction cooktop for a two-week loan period. The initial phase of the program, from March to December 2022, was a pilot funded under Emerging Technologies for research purposes.

The pilot program provided the opportunity for PG&E residential customers to reserve a single-hob, portable countertop induction cooktop for a two-week loan period. The pilot program and follow-up educational initiative is managed by the Frontier Energy Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) team comprised of ICT experts and foodservice professionals with oversight from a PG&E program manager. The pilot launched in March 2022 with the first loan completed on March 31, 2022. During the 9-month pilot period, between March and December 2022, 429 customers submitted reservations, averaging over 40 loans per month.

The key project findings were found by analyzing the pre- and post-survey results, to compare borrower impressions of induction cooking before and after participating in the Induction Cooktop Loaner Program.
Results from this pre- and post-loan survey analysis include:

• 82.73% of borrowers that used the IC reported a slightly positive to extremely positive impression of ICT which was a 30% increase from the same borrowers that reported a positive impression on the pre-loan survey.
• 96% of borrowers reported using either a natural gas or electric resistance cooktop/range top as their current cooktop in their home kitchens. As a result, the data was filtered and analyzed by borrower current cooktop type to determine any trends. Broken down by current cooktop type, after using the induction cooktop,
  • 82.18% of natural gas cooktop users reported a slightly positive or extremely positive impression of induction cooking
  • 85.37% of electric resistance cooktop users reported a slightly positive or extremely positive impression of induction cooking.
• Of all borrowers that used the cooktop, about 71.82% reported that they were slightly or extremely likely to switch to induction cooking.

Future induction cooktop loaner programs should focus on 1) diversifying the induction cooktop inventory with other models to provide the most inclusive and diverse experience with ICT, 2) build out the collateral and informational resources accessible to help the borrower understand and use the technology, 3) and along with that, connect borrowers to the pathways available to electrify their homes and/or replace their cooktop or range top.

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