Doctor in the house: one physician's exceedingly healthy home
Rewiring America advisor Gaurab Basu takes us on a tour of his family’s electrified Boston abode.
Rewiring America expert advisor Gaurab Basu is no stranger to the intersections between health and climate.
He’s a primary care physician and Director of Education and Policy at the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
“There is this invisible stuff in your home that is not healthy,” he says.
“In the future, we’re going to wonder how the heck we allowed volatile, combustible gas [to be] funneled in from a pipe out there right into our home.”
— Dr. Gaurab Basu
So, what exactly is that “invisible stuff”?
Gas stoves emit pollutants that irritate our respiratory system and benzene, a cancer-causing pollutant. That’s why nearly 13 percent of childhood asthma cases in the United States can be linked to gas stoves in homes. Gas stoves also leak unburned methane into your home, even when turned off, which contributes to the climate crisis.
For Dr. Basu, gas in the home is a no-go. That’s why his family’s cozy Boston home is fully-loaded with an induction range, EV charging dock, solar panels, heat pump, and a heat pump water heater.
We hope This Electric House tour will help you consider going electric, too — to help your family breathe better, save money, and help the planet.
Want to learn more about the connection between electrification and health? Read Rewiring America's health report here.
Rewiring America's This Electric House showcases electric homes free of fossil fuels and powered by safer, cleaner, better-for-the-planet appliances. Have you electrified all or part of your house? Tell us about it and we may even do a house tour featuring you! media@rewiringamerica.org
Dr. Gaurab Basu is an expert advisor to Rewiring America, where you can hear him in our Why Electrify program. He’s a primary care physician, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and director of education and policy at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Dr. Leah Stokes is senior policy counsel to Rewiring America. She is an associate professor in the department of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). Leah’s award-winning book “Short Circuiting Policy” examines the role that utilities have played in promoting climate denial and rolling back clean energy laws.