In Georgia and North Carolina, an electrification initiative has teamed up with startup Electra to lower the tech’s upfront cost and avoid expensive wiring upgrades.

Word is getting out about electric induction ranges. More and more chefs say the appliances cook just as well as or better than their gas counterparts. The stoves don’t burn climate-warming fossil fuels or release harmful indoor air pollutants like gas ones do. And because they’re vastly more efficient, they also reduce monthly energy bills.

Yet many induction-curious households face upfront sticker shock. While the range itself might cost the same as a new gas variety, installing it often requires an expensive electrical upgrade: Swapping out a traditional 120-volt, three-prong outlet for a more powerful 240-volt one can run into the thousands of dollars.

Now, a new program is offering a way around that problem for customers in parts of North Carolina and Georgia. A group-purchase campaign in Atlanta and three metro areas in the Tar Heel State will provide a discount on a novel type of induction range that doesn’t require costly renovations. 

Designed and manufactured by Electra, based in New York City, the range has an innovative 5-kilowatt-hour battery, which sips electrons from a three-prong outlet and then delivers a jolt for tasks like boiling water or searing meat. The battery can also power cooking up to five meals during a grid outage.

At $ 3 , 999 , the appliance is undoubtedly pricey. But it could still be about $ 3 , 000 cheaper than the all-in cost of switching from gas to another type of electric range — induction or otherwise — that requires a 240 -volt outlet.

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