Development vs. Usage

In choosing this base of sources there is a blind spot in differentiating the development of these products and their actual usage. As mentioned in the history of stoves, the invention of new stove technology did not always mean its immediate adoption by any substantial consumer base. This is especially true with advancements in what fuel sources could be used like gas and electricity. A lack of gas lines or electrical grids to make this kind of energy available to people in upper-class urban areas, let alone rural ones, made it difficult to make these kinds of products marketable before such infrastructure was in place. Even once electrification was in place, it is hard to exactly determine if people were buying into its benefits to the extent that they would invest in getting electric appliances immediately when the factor of the unknown can act as a deterrent when there is already a known, reliable type of kitchen range.

When looking at catalogues put out in the 1910s of electric ranges, we can infer that there was enough of a consumer base for companies to be leading quantifiable marketing efforts, but it is hard to exactly tell what kind of Canadian consumers they had specifically. One such company selling electric ranges is Westinghouse. They are a Canadian company, or at least are a well-established Canadian subsidiary company, but only feature a collage of American homes that use their appliances (see page nine of the attached document). They could be selling some of their electric ranges to Canadian buyers, but it is hard to tell of what percentage their audience is Canadian.