Electric range cooker?

waqasahmed

So

My end goal is to only use electricity in the house.  I do quite like the versatility of gas, how it's pretty instant, and how it's easier to control the flow of gas

Does anyone know of any decent electric cookers that can rival gas in terms of the reasons why people have traditionally preferred gas? A colleague at work is doing the same and he's already got an AEG induction cooker 

Alnat1

Electricity is more expensive than gas generally for both cooking and heating.

If you're thinking this will save on the gas standing charge, you would only stop paying that if you asked to have the meter removed. This would cost you £500-£1,000 and could devalue your property if you sold.

Maybe you have other reasons for not using gas?

waqasahmed

Alnat1 said:

Electricity is more expensive than gas generally for both cooking and heating.

If you're thinking this will save on the gas standing charge, you would only stop paying that if you asked to have the meter removed. This would cost you £500-£1,000 and could devalue your property if you sold.

Maybe you have other reasons for not using gas?

So my eventual plan is to have solar panels,  and a heat pump. I figure that there's not much point in then having gas if I've also got solar panels and a heat pump too

Ebe_Scrooge

waqasahmed said:

Alnat1 said:

Electricity is more expensive than gas generally for both cooking and heating.

If you're thinking this will save on the gas standing charge, you would only stop paying that if you asked to have the meter removed. This would cost you £500-£1,000 and could devalue your property if you sold.

Maybe you have other reasons for not using gas?

So my eventual plan is to have solar panels,  and a heat pump. I figure that there's not much point in then having gas if I've also got solar panels and a heat pump too

Solar will only work during the day.  Admittedly the technology has moved on, and you don't need full sun these days to make them work.  But there's still going to be a lot of time when you're relying on mains electricity, which is expensive.

As for the heat pump - I have neighbours in my village who say they guzzle electricity like there's no tomorrow during the colder months.  You've then got to factor in the installation, possibly upgrading insulation and changing radiators etc.

I think it's probably the kind of setup that could make financial sense if it's designed into a new-build house from scratch.  But you need to factor in the associated costs - both up-front and ongoing - to work out whether it'll be financially viable to retro-fit.

 

DullGreyGuy

waqasahmed said:

So

My end goal is to only use electricity in the house.  I do quite like the versatility of gas, how it's pretty instant, and how it's easier to control the flow of gas

Does anyone know of any decent electric cookers that can rival gas in terms of the reasons why people have traditionally preferred gas? A colleague at work is doing the same and he's already got an AEG induction cooker 

Ignoring any cost considerations...

Do you mean a range/cooker (ie a free standing item with hob on top and ovens under) or do you mean just a hob? Not actually sure the difference in definition between a range and a cooker... id say a cooker is 60cm and a range is anything wider. 

If you want an electric hob then induction is the way to go. For me the main thing to look at is what its max power draw is as some are massively under powered to be able to work from a 13amp plug which means you can only operate 1 hob on max power or maybe 2 hobs on medium and one low. 

We prefer a separate hob and ovens as its more comfortable having the ovens at body height rather than near the floor plus it means the pans can then be stored under the hob and easy to get to. 

Having had old electric (both solid plate and halogen) and sworn I'd never move from gas I am really happy with the induction. On boost it boils water far quicker than our electric kettle or our old gas hob. All the "rings" are identical so you can easily move pans between areas and keep the same heat to them (our gas hob had 4 different size of rings so you could only estimate if moving from the medium to the small ring would keep a constant temp). 

There are convenience features which are ok but not that special... eg you can have a timer for each of the rings, the timer can either just make a noise at the end or turn the ring off, it has a keep warm function which adjusts the target temp depending on what level it was set to before being switched. 

Its more expensive to run without a doubt and will be more expensive to repair if anything goes wrong but those were things we were willing to live with as we repositioned our hob in the change and getting gas to it would have been harder etc plus for the wife's happiness, its a simple wipe down to clean it rather than lots of scrubbing the hob of burnt on bits.

Alderbank

DullGreyGuy said:

waqasahmed said:

So

My end goal is to only use electricity in the house.  I do quite like the versatility of gas, how it's pretty instant, and how it's easier to control the flow of gas

Does anyone know of any decent electric cookers that can rival gas in terms of the reasons why people have traditionally preferred gas? A colleague at work is doing the same and he's already got an AEG induction cooker 

Ignoring any cost considerations...

Do you mean a range/cooker (ie a free standing item with hob on top and ovens under) or do you mean just a hob? Not actually sure the difference in definition between a range and a cooker... id say a cooker is 60cm and a range is anything wider. 

If you want an electric hob then induction is the way to go. For me the main thing to look at is what its max power draw is as some are massively under powered to be able to work from a 13amp plug which means you can only operate 1 hob on max power or maybe 2 hobs on medium and one low. 

We prefer a separate hob and ovens as its more comfortable having the ovens at body height rather than near the floor plus it means the pans can then be stored under the hob and easy to get to. 

Having had old electric (both solid plate and halogen) and sworn I'd never move from gas I am really happy with the induction. On boost it boils water far quicker than our electric kettle or our old gas hob. All the "rings" are identical so you can easily move pans between areas and keep the same heat to them (our gas hob had 4 different size of rings so you could only estimate if moving from the medium to the small ring would keep a constant temp). 

There are convenience features which are ok but not that special... eg you can have a timer for each of the rings, the timer can either just make a noise at the end or turn the ring off, it has a keep warm function which adjusts the target temp depending on what level it was set to before being switched. 

Its more expensive to run without a doubt and will be more expensive to repair if anything goes wrong but those were things we were willing to live with as we repositioned our hob in the change and getting gas to it would have been harder etc plus for the wife's happiness, its a simple wipe down to clean it rather than lots of scrubbing the hob of burnt on bits.

^This^.

I too used to think nothing could beat gas until I gave in and got an induction hob. Fast, instant control and so easy to clean!

However in an earlier thread on this topic, one poster said he could not have an induction hob because a family member had a heart pacemaker. Possibly something for some people to consider.

waqasahmed

Alderbank said:

DullGreyGuy said:

waqasahmed said:

So

My end goal is to only use electricity in the house.  I do quite like the versatility of gas, how it's pretty instant, and how it's easier to control the flow of gas

Does anyone know of any decent electric cookers that can rival gas in terms of the reasons why people have traditionally preferred gas? A colleague at work is doing the same and he's already got an AEG induction cooker 

Ignoring any cost considerations...

Do you mean a range/cooker (ie a free standing item with hob on top and ovens under) or do you mean just a hob? Not actually sure the difference in definition between a range and a cooker... id say a cooker is 60cm and a range is anything wider. 

If you want an electric hob then induction is the way to go. For me the main thing to look at is what its max power draw is as some are massively under powered to be able to work from a 13amp plug which means you can only operate 1 hob on max power or maybe 2 hobs on medium and one low. 

We prefer a separate hob and ovens as its more comfortable having the ovens at body height rather than near the floor plus it means the pans can then be stored under the hob and easy to get to. 

Having had old electric (both solid plate and halogen) and sworn I'd never move from gas I am really happy with the induction. On boost it boils water far quicker than our electric kettle or our old gas hob. All the "rings" are identical so you can easily move pans between areas and keep the same heat to them (our gas hob had 4 different size of rings so you could only estimate if moving from the medium to the small ring would keep a constant temp). 

There are convenience features which are ok but not that special... eg you can have a timer for each of the rings, the timer can either just make a noise at the end or turn the ring off, it has a keep warm function which adjusts the target temp depending on what level it was set to before being switched. 

Its more expensive to run without a doubt and will be more expensive to repair if anything goes wrong but those were things we were willing to live with as we repositioned our hob in the change and getting gas to it would have been harder etc plus for the wife's happiness, its a simple wipe down to clean it rather than lots of scrubbing the hob of burnt on bits.

^This^.

I too used to think nothing could beat gas until I gave in and got an induction hob. Fast, instant control and so easy to clean!

However in an earlier thread on this topic, one poster said he could not have an induction hob because a family member had a heart pacemaker. Possibly something for some people to consider.

What do they do with regards to pacemakers? FWIW, I was considering more a GSHP more than anything else tbh 

Alderbank

The British Heart Foundation says:

Pacemakers are small electrical devices that regulate electrical activity in the heart. Anything that produces a strong electromagnetic field can interfere with a pacemaker.
Induction hobs do generate electromagnetic fields, so keep a distance of at least 60cm (2ft) between the stovetop and your pacemaker. Most people should be able to use a hob if they follow these precautions, but if you are choosing a new cooker, it may be easier to pick one that is not an induction hob.