What is the AIRLIFT study?

The AIRLIFT study is exploring how your stove can affect your indoor air quality and your health. More specifically, our study is designed to help researchers, community partners, and policymakers better understand the impacts of switching from a gas stove to an electric stove. The study is funded by the California Energy Commission and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Who is conducting the study?

This study is being led by the University of California, Berkeley, and Berkeley Air Monitoring Group. The study team includes researchers with expertise in air quality, health, and household energy.

The research team is coordinating with the Center for Sustainable Energy (CSE) and the appliance upgrade program, but this study is separate from that program. Joining the air monitoring/health study is your choice. Your decision about whether to participate in our AIRLIFT study will not affect your eligibility for the appliance upgrade program or other program benefits.

Study Participation Options

You may choose one of two ways to participate in this study.

Option 1: Online health survey

Eligibility: Any household with a member over the age of 18.

What will happen if I participate?

  • You will be asked to complete a general survey online about your health. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete.
  • After the first survey, additional 15-minute follow-up surveys will be sent to you electronically every 3 months over a period for about 2 years.
  • If you or a member of your household has a diagnosed respiratory condition such as asthma or COPD, we will send out a quick one-question survey every week to ask how they are feeling.
  • Kids under the age of 17 can participate with permission and help from their parents.

To thank you for your time and participation, you will receive:

  • A $10 Visa gift card after each completed 3-month survey. That’s up to $80 total over the course of the study.

Option 2: Air quality study

Eligibility: Any home that receives an induction stove as part of their appliance upgrade package through the CSE program.

What will happen if I participate?

  • Our team will schedule an initial home visit at your convenience to describe the study and confirm you would like to participate. From there, our team will set up air quality devices in your kitchen to collect air pollutant samples while you still have your gas stove, and again after you receive your new electric stove from the CSE program.

  • We will also set up small sensors to measure stove use and ventilation hood use. These monitors will stay in your home from our first visit with your gas stove, and be retrieved after our last visit when you have your induction stove. We anticipate this will be 3-5 weeks in total. The instruments are quiet and should not interfere with your cooking or other activities.

  • In addition to the air quality monitoring, you will also be asked to complete the same health surveys and weekly symptom tracking (if applicable) described in Option 1.

  • In addition to kitchen measurements, we will ask the person in your home who is primarily responsible for cooking (and up to one child, if willing) to wear small personal air pollution monitors for two days. These monitors are quiet and can be worn in a backpack, hip pack, or vest – you get to pick. Study staff will explain how to wear the equipment and what to do when it is not practical to wear it, such as during sleep, bathing, or sports. A picture of an example personal exposure pack is shown below.

    An example personal exposure pack: a small mesh pouch holding an air monitor, worn on the shoulder strap of a backpack.

  • During our home visits with you, we will ask you some survey questions. The survey will include questions about windows, doors, exhaust fans, cooking patterns, other sources of indoor air pollution, and time spent at home vs. away from home.

  • Some households may be invited to take part in two additional air quality measurements. In this group of selected homes, the study may also include longer-term kitchen monitoring of air quality, stove use, and vent hood use.

To thank you for your time and participation, you will receive:

  • A $100 gift certificate after the first measurement with your gas stove
  • A $50 gift certificate after the follow-up measurement with your new electric stove
  • If your household is selected and you are willing to complete the additional follow-up visits, you may receive an additional $50 gift certificate for each follow up visit (up to $100)

Total possible compensation:

  • $100 for completing the baseline and another $150 after the follow-up measurements
  • Up to $250 total if selected for and willing to complete the additional follow-up visits

Interested? Click here to enroll!