Gas v Electric Cooking Costs

danyool

Hi Everyone - heres my First Post !!....

What are peoples opinions on what is cheaper to run - a Gas oven and hob or an Electric one?

We are refurbishing our kitchen, so have a blank canvas for what to put in it, and am keen to try and keep my energy bills as low as possible for the future.

All opinions and comparisons gratefully received!

Danyool

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Gas seems to be cheaper...a flame provides heat instantly and you can see that the flame only covers the base of the pan and is thus not wasted. Electric has to heat up and it's hard to see if you're heating the outside world, my OH says his electric oven takes ages to get to temperature as well, which also costs money. And he reckons my cooking tastes better than his as the food is moister (although that could just be a cunning plan to get me to cook for him more often)

BUT if you want gas, if you live in a flat, you MUST have a flame failure/supervision device which cuts off the supply if the flame goes out. Curry's and Comet both told the young couple next door that gas was illegal in flats now, but that would have been because they don't stock the FFD versions and they didn't want to lose the sale. Argos has some, as does Tesco Direct and Littlewoods Catalogue. I'd go to an independent or Euronics Centre and see what they could offer...if they don't even check whether you live in a flat or not, they're probably not worth bothering with.

fitshase

Go for an induction hob. It's as reactive as a gas hob (instant heat, quick to adjust, etc) but more energy efficient. You need magnetic pans as it works on the principle of electromagnets causing the pans to heat themselves up. When you take the pan off the ring, the power is cut. When you put the pan back on, the power is restored. The ring only affects the part of it covered by the pan so it uses EXACTLY the right amount of energy to heat the specific pan.

The hob itself does not get too hot to burn food on it so it keeps clean easily (the only heat is the heat transfer from the hot pan). They are normally one piece of smooth glass with touch controls (mine also has individual timers on each ring to switch them off - ideal for leaving unattended). This means a quick wipe with a damp cloth and it's clean - no more scrubbing!

They are safer than gas and normal electric hobs as they don't get hot. You can switch on all the rings on maximum and nothing happens until you put a pan on it. Most (if not all) also have child locks on them and key locks to prevent accidentally knocking the hob and raising the temperature of the pans.

They are also the most energy efficient electric hob available and because they are electric, you can buy your power from anywhere (even fit your own solar panels, etc) whereas you can only get your gas from a main supplier. May be something to think about with the current increase in gas prices.

Now, I would also say go for an electric fan oven as they generally give off better heat distribution. You can also get self cleaning electric ovens which lock the door and heat up to a very high temperature to bake the dirt off the sides of the oven (I think they're called pyroclean ovens).

Of course, this also means you only need an electrician to sort things out for you instead of a Corgi gas installer.

emmu

My gas hob {has safety cut-out thank heavens!] takes 8min to boil 1litre water & electric kettle 2 min.....Which is better ? Mike