About 7 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States come from fossil fuels burned inside homes for things like heating, cooking and cooling.

That’s bad for the climate and, sometimes, bad for your health. Gas stoves, in addition to those planet-warming emissions, release toxic pollutants directly into the home.

Depending on where you live, though, there could be an alternative. In many places, electricity increasingly comes from renewable sources like wind and solar rather than fossil fuels like coal. So, you might be able to lower your contribution to climate change, and save your lungs, by replacing natural gas appliances with electric ones.

When and how to do this, though, is a personal choice that depends on a number of factors. Here are some things to take into consideration.

What’s the goal?

Deciding whether to get rid of a gas appliance depends on the machine in question and on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Natural gas is used in 61 percent of U.S. homes, according to the Energy Information Administration. In those households, gas appliances produce about two tons of carbon dioxide per person per year.