In this Brooklyn warehouse, stoves are turned into batteries

A startup called Electra is now shipping induction stoves with a battery built in — a 5-kilowatt-hour pack that replaces the drawer under the oven. Induction stoves cook using electromagnetism instead of a flame, and they don't release the pollutants a gas stove does. What makes Electra's version different is that it plugs into a standard 120-volt outlet, the kind already in most kitchens. Many electric ranges need 240 volts, which can mean upgrading your home's electrical panel or paying an electrician to rewire the kitchen — costs that can add up to thousands of dollars. Electra says its stove skips all that.

The battery does double duty. It charges when power is cheap or clean, like during sunny hours when solar generation is high, and it can run the stove during peak demand, cutting how much strain the appliance puts on the grid. Electra says this design uses about 80% less peak power than a typical electric stove. The battery also means the stove can keep working through a blackout for a few meals.

The stove costs $3,999, more than triple the price of a top-rated standard electric range, though it avoids the extra wiring costs. Electra is one of a few companies making these battery-equipped stoves, alongside California-based Copper and Impulse Labs. Federal rebates for electrification appliances expired early under the Trump administration, but some states and utilities still offer their own incentives, so it's worth checking what's available where you live.