Sharing Induction Cooktop Install Experience

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  Jimothy Wongingtons on 05/03/2023 - 12:19

  +3

  he did for $400

  That actually sounds very… acceptable

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  freefall101 on 05/03/2023 - 13:07

  +1

  Thanks for the breakdown, I'm planning on switching from gas and wasn't really sure on the cost of it all or requirements so this really helps me.

  Sadly I have a freestanding gas cooktop/electric oven at the moment though, looks a lot more expensive to replace. With additional wiring on top it won't be a fun change.

  • 

    PleasureMachine on 06/03/2023 - 11:17

    +1

    There are examples of people keeping the freestanding electric oven, and making the gas hobs redundant by installing an induction cooktop into a wooden benchtop installed on the top of the stove.

    Depending on your design and how much you cook, you can also just put a large wooden benchtop over the gas hobs and just use two portable units.

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  CheapukeeSkate on 05/03/2023 - 15:15

  So about $1600 all up for purchase and installation of the induction.

  To my understanding induction is anywhere from 30-50% more energy efficient than standard electric coils or hotplates due to more of the heat getting into the pan and the food than the conventional electric. With Electricity at 27c per kWh (and getting higher) will you notice any energy savings, and how long before the induction cooktop might pay for itself?

  I'm wondering if it could be as low as 5 years depending on how much you cook.

  @Unacceptable please let us know if you notice any change in electricity usage after getting the induction top?

  • 

    Keplaffintech on 05/03/2023 - 21:08

    will you notice any energy savings,

    No. A cooktop uses such a small amount of energy already compared to the big users (AC / Hot water).

    Here's a tip to save power with a cooktop, once your water starts boiling for pasta/potatoes etc, turn it down to a simmer. You don't need to boil pasta for 10 minutes on max power, all that does is waste energy by evaporating the water faster.

    Here's some envelope maths.

    Say you use your cooktop for 30 mins each day at about 400W average. That's 200Wh, or 5c a day. Say you gain 30% efficiency, that's < 2c a day, or ~$5 a year. You can see how the savings are orders of magnitude off.

    • 

      Keplaffintech on 05/03/2023 - 21:19

      And how much would you have to cook in order to pay it off ($1600) after 5 years?

      Assume: 50% efficiency gain over existing cooktop and 40c / kWh peak hour cost.

      If every day, I boil a 7L pot of water until the pot is completely dry (should take a few hours depending on power setting), I might just break even in 5-6 years.

  • 

    Unacceptable on 06/03/2023 - 08:37

    Get a solar, that saves heaps of energy bill.

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  vice on 05/03/2023 - 21:33

  Nice work had thought about replacing my 90cm gas with induction, but I’ve just setup my Aldi induction portable cooktop on top of my wok burner instead. Only reason I don’t rip out the gas was it came in handy during a couple day power outage being able to cook and boil water without power. Otherwise induction is a big time saver the pan heats up faster and you don’t need to worry so much about crowding the pan it stays hot no matter how much is in there.

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  Sinnerator on 06/03/2023 - 08:03

  You got an electrician in SYDNEY to do 3 hours of work for only $400.
  You are a LEGEND !
  Or was there a bit of pepperoni pizza involved also?

  • 

    Unacceptable on 06/03/2023 - 08:38

    $550 is a norm for the job I guess.
    Yes, $400 seems quite decent.

  • 

    Unacceptable on 06/03/2023 - 09:20

    Never thought that I’d buy an electronics from IKEA but after knowing that it’s a rebadge of AEG with 5 year warranty it was the only induction I wanted to get.

    • 

      Bargainitis on 06/03/2023 - 09:28

      Uh oh - I accidentally deleted my comment! ceebs re-typing it all out but the bottom line was to avoid sharing the same power outlet if you got an oven sitting below.

      I didn't know about the rebadge - thats solid result!

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  dtc on 06/03/2023 - 11:13

  Probably should make a separate thread but anyway

  I have a stove/cooktop which I want to remove and install induction. However the kitchen set up is 'cabinet - gap - cabinet' and the stove sits in the gap. There is no benchtop across the gap.

  If I install an induction cooktop, can I sit it in the gap ie the cooktop will not actually be sitting in a cut out on the benchtop, it will need to be supported by braces or something from the sides or walls and sit on them. Apart from the aesthetics of having some trim (which is likely to only be at the front and back, as the cooktop will be the same width as the gap), this seems doable, but I'm just not sure as I cant find anyone online who has done it. The only other option is replacing the entire benchtop

  Unfortunately, the gap is 80cm rather than a more standard 60 or 90, so I cant find a replacement stand alone stove with induction cooktop that I can just slot in

  • 

    Bargainitis on 06/03/2023 - 12:33

    You could install a standalone benchtop (held up by two pillars that could help "gap" the difference). Then within that bottom gap, stick an standard oven (usually around 60cms)?

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  Daniel Plainview on 26/10/2023 - 16:27

  As someone who made the move to induction several years back - hopefully your installer or yourself ensured that it has adequate ventilation. This is the biggest killer of induction cooktops, when they're installed in areas without this and the electronics inside ends up overheating.

  While folks perceive induction as 'new tech' it's been around IIRC since mid last century - and is very resilient if treated decently.

  Personal opinion but having to get higher fuses put in your power box is a tad overrated - it's incredibly rare & near impossible unless you do deliberately that you'd be drawing enough amperage from your oven and cooktop at the same time to trigger the overload protection on most existing installations - as worst case it just triggers this and you turn the power down & continue. But each to their own.