Is Gas Stove Cheaper to Run than Electric Stove?

figarow on 18/03/2024 - 10:53
Last edited 18/03/2024 - 11:37

Not sure which is cheaper, after searching around thought best to ask some smarter people. We have a gas stove that uses 9kg bottles @ $23 per refill, our electricity is 33.25 cents per kWh. Is it more efficient to stick with gas or go electric, assuming all cooking at night (no solar).

Edit..

I'm only interested in the running costs, not the added cost of equipment. Assume I have both of these stoves running on lowest setting to keep water simmering.
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/chef-540mm-freestanding-elec…
vs
https://www.harveynorman.com.au/chef-540mm-freestanding-natu…

Home & Garden Stovetop

Comments

    • HelpMeiCantSee on 19/03/2024 - 09:59
      +3

      I use gas for my cooktop (90cm one), and I go through 9kg a year tops. Maybe even 1.5 years. Assuming heavy daily use, even 6months is a long time. You’d be surprised how long a little bottle lasts!

      • Save Medicare on 20/03/2024 - 10:48
        +1

        Honestly sounds cheaper than piped gas since you don't need to pay a supply charge

        • HelpMeiCantSee on 21/03/2024 - 12:46

          Hands down way cheaper than natural gas, no competition! Was still cheaper even when I had instant gas hws!

    • trapper on 19/03/2024 - 13:37
      +4

      Must also be gas water heating and other things, 210kg for cooking only would last decades.

    • kaleidoscope on 20/03/2024 - 00:20
      +1

      has a 210kg bottle.

      She’s got gas for a lifetime.

  • Breno785au on 19/03/2024 - 12:02

    We just moved into a place with induction, coming from gas stove. Always had gas stoves. I'm interested in seeing upcoming bills if we save using less gas but increased electricity usage, or if evens out. Or maybe bill will be more?

    • bargaino on 19/03/2024 - 13:04
      +1

      Cooktops are a tiny part of your bill, compared to oven, heating & cooling, and hot water.

      • Breno785au on 19/03/2024 - 16:40

        We don't use the gas ducted, way too expensive.
        Cooling yeah split systems and gas hot water.
        So the only thing changing is going from gas to induction, and I'm eager to see what change if any.

        • tomfool on 20/03/2024 - 11:21

          You will not see much difference a large component of the gas bill is the connection fee, at least in QLD.

        • placard on 20/03/2024 - 14:43

          Won't see much change. Gas stoves don't use much. Biggest part of your gas bill is the daily service fees and gas hot water.

          If I was you, I'd look to changing the hot water system over to a heatpump unit (Hydrotherm X8 or iStore etc) then think about disconnecting the gas to save daily fees.

          I was down to just the hot water service using gas and the gas bills were costing $660 per year including daily service fees. heat pump uses around 1-1.5kWh per day to reheat which is timed to use solar so cost is nothing. Even if it had to use the grid power, 1.5kWh is nothing.

          I'm so glad to be rid of gas.

    • xylarr on 19/03/2024 - 14:25

      Once you've gone induction, you'll never go back.

      • Breno785au on 19/03/2024 - 16:40
        -1

        Have to get magnetic cookware first, (profanity) sucks at the moment.

        • Save Medicare on 20/03/2024 - 10:50

          Grab some carbon steel pans. I use darto from argentina because they're relateively cheap, but if you have money to splash check out solidteknics (local brand) and de buyer.

          Stainless wise I'm told allclad is pretty good, but again, bloody expensive

          Non-enameled cast iron i feel is impractical for daily use because of its care requirements, but I do break out the lodge every once in a while

  • apple2016 on 19/03/2024 - 12:30
    +3

    Power failure is quite common these days after a bit of rain/ high winds etc. Gas on the other hand seems quite stable!!!

    • placard on 20/03/2024 - 14:45

      Hardly. The last storm in our area it was off for 10 hours. That's the longest I've known it to be off for years and years. Max is usually less than an hour.

      In any case, the last thing I care about in a power outage is "Oh I can cook on a gas stove", given my fridge is warming up and can't do much else.

  • trapper on 19/03/2024 - 13:34
    +3

    It's cheaper to use whatever existing stove you have.

  • mactos on 19/03/2024 - 14:00
    +4

    Gas = additional service to your property and the associated fees.
    Gas = household health and environmental impacts

  • xylarr on 19/03/2024 - 14:24
    +6

    If you have no other gas appliances - basically if you don't have gas hot water - then disconnecting the gas can be worthwhile.

    The cost of gas is not really the cost of the gas. It's the cost of the supply infrastructure. You'll pay a certain amount per month just to have gas available, and then pay for gas on top of that.

    If you convert to electricity for your cooktop and can go all electric, you're just going to be paying for the marginal extra cost of electricity, because you're already paying your daily charge.

    • adn on 19/03/2024 - 20:17

      Bingo. I only have gas stove and the service charge is higher then what I use. I should seriously look at replacing it.

      • Save Medicare on 20/03/2024 - 10:51

        Even see if you can change to bottled

  • Drakesy on 19/03/2024 - 18:49
    +1

    Get rid of gas and go to induction and heat pumps.

    Just the service costs alone are ridiculous.

    • placard on 20/03/2024 - 14:45
      +1

      Did this last August and disconnected/closed the gas account. Saving so much money!! Heat pump hot water uses hardly any power as do split systems to heat.

      The old gas hot water and gas ducted used to chew gas!!

  • Neptunesblood on 19/03/2024 - 18:57
    +1

    A million articles on google from experts. But no let’s go to ozbargain to ask randoms. Yep good plan.

  • Thinkscape on 19/03/2024 - 19:52

    Depends if you include healthcare costs from cancer, chronic inflammation, asthma and other several pulmonary diseases, caused by the gas stove and the gas installation. Long term health risk is pretty well documented at this point, on top of explosion risk and poisoning from leaks.

  • Wt133 on 19/03/2024 - 21:17

    Apparently induction cooktops use under $100 per year according to choice magazine . Hand the Westinghouse one that was recommended and it’s pretty good. Doesn’t cost me anything considering I have solar

    • OzzyOzbourne on 19/03/2024 - 23:07

      Don't you find cooking only on sunny days and during the daytime a bit limiting though?

      • eug on 19/03/2024 - 23:19

        If you generate enough and have a good FIT, your electricity bill can be in credit (or very low) like some of my friends. You generate power on sunny days and sell it to your electricity company who pays you by crediting your bill. That way you spread it out over e.g. 3 months to decouple your usage from the weather.

        • johnno07 on 20/03/2024 - 08:23

          Unless you're on some ridiculous scheme from a decade ago - aren't all FITs a bit shit now? Like 8ish cents? At least in QLD. If you're paying ~25c per KW/h from the grid, you have an opportunity loss of something like ~17c per KW/h when you sell it back rather than use it.

          • eug on 20/03/2024 - 12:40

            @johnno07: I'm not sure what FIT my friends are getting, but they're still getting very low or in-credit bills.

            How much electricity is used makes a difference. If someone is at work 5 days a week and the only things left running at home is a fridge and a router, there's no one to use the generated power anyway.

            Of course if you're like me and have a million things running including the AC every minute I'm at home, a small power bill would just be a dream. :)

  • R4 on 19/03/2024 - 23:58
    +3

    I'm not sure of the cost difference , but I doubt that it's major, but I like to cook and much prefer gas.

  • rooster on 20/03/2024 - 07:53

    If you have solar, then the electricity to run the induction stove is free… Then you only need to consider CapEx

  • jerjergege on 20/03/2024 - 08:33
    +1

    Electric stove I would say is more efficient, therefore would cost less to run.
    Gas is like 60% wasted on heating the air around the thing you're trying to heat.

  • grr1701 on 20/03/2024 - 09:24

    Induction cooktop is WAY more efficient.

  • frugalftw on 20/03/2024 - 09:37
    +1

    The only thing that induction and electric cooktops annoy me is on low heat setting, they turn themselves on and off to simulate low heat, whereas on gas you get continuous heat. Maybe I’ve always just lived in cheap sharehouses? Not sure how it affects food, just doesn’t feel right.

    • Save Medicare on 20/03/2024 - 10:52

      I think it's hob dependent. My breville control freak (quite expensive, but like, very good) definitely has different power settings, which is important when you're using thin cookware that might warp under high settings

      • frugalftw on 20/03/2024 - 15:11

        lol love the name, I shall investigate.

    • placard on 20/03/2024 - 14:47

      This really depends on which one you buy. Any decent built in one won't do this.

      Most of the portables do this, and I agree, it's annoying.

      Ikea has some decent 4 burner induction stoves that around $500 or so. At this price there really is NO reason to install a old ceramic electric crap one.

      • frugalftw on 20/03/2024 - 15:14

        Huh yes I only have portable ones, but have tried at friend’s place, same thing just turns itself off then on again. Gonna check out ikea’s offers, thanks for the heads up.

  • bathuu on 20/03/2024 - 18:12
    -1

    For my situation, 9kg lpg bottle last me for 4 months of cooking twice a day. Refill costs $25ish, if I had done same amount cooking on electric stove, i would be paying heaps more on electricity bill. So for me, gas is miles ahead in terms of running cost.

    • eug on 20/03/2024 - 18:17

      if I had done same amount cooking on electric stove, i would be paying heaps more on electricity bill

      Just wondering, how do you know how much it would cost you on electricity?

      • bathuu on 20/03/2024 - 18:21
        -2

        2kw * 0.5h * 2 times daily * 120 days * 0.30c = $72

        You can change variables a bit to get a better number, even then still miles ahead

        • eug on 20/03/2024 - 18:35
          +1

          It'd be interesting to actually measure the power an induction stove takes when cooking.

          In this test I measured the actual amount of gas used to boil 1L of water and compared it to an induction stove. The pot and starting temperature were the same, the only variable was the stove.

          Assuming the induction stove ran at its full 2kW the entire time (a worst-case scenario), it was still cheaper than gas to impart the same amount of energy into the pot. That's with OP's expensive 33.25c tariff and $23/9kg gas refills.

          • gyrex on 20/03/2024 - 19:18
            +1

            @eug:

            • A 9kg gas bottle contains 17L or ~417 Megajoules (MJ).
            • A large burner on a gas cooktop consumes ~14MJ/h so that gets you 29 hours of cook time on a gas cooktop with only 1 burner going.
            • This 9kg gas bottle lasts 29 days at 1/2 hour per cooking session twice a day.
            • So for the same 120 days @ $25 a 9kg refill, this equates to $103 for gas.
            • Using the 9kg gas bottle is 43% more expensive using his 2kW figure (a highly unlikely figure at that since induction tempers the power according to the heat setting).

            This bloke's maths just isn't adding up at all.

            • bathuu on 20/03/2024 - 21:10

              @gyrex: It is ok, what works for me don't have to work for you and i don't even need to convince you to believe me.

              • gyrex on 20/03/2024 - 21:12
                +1

                @bathuu: You don't need to convince me because the maths don't math unfortunately.

  • siresteelhell on 20/03/2024 - 18:48

    any thoughts on our horrible power grid? We lose power every summer due to the short sighted govt shutting down the power plants…we have gas stove so are still able to cook when everything goes out

    • THICKnSLOW on 20/03/2024 - 21:13

      Hot shower and a hot meal

  • ToyotaCrownHybrid on 20/03/2024 - 19:09

    Induction + Barbie with Wok burner for when you actually wanna cook

  • THICKnSLOW on 20/03/2024 - 21:12
    -1

    What's more efficient when the electricity is out?

    • gyrex on 20/03/2024 - 21:21
      +1

      Where do you live? North Korea where the electricity goes out on a frequent basis? I've got a battery but even still, we get a blackout maybe once every 2 years for a short period of time…

      • THICKnSLOW on 21/03/2024 - 15:39

        I don't remember the time we had a gas blackout.

        Never is greater than 2 years so I win the battle and the glorious internet points

        • gyrex on 22/03/2024 - 09:05
          +1

          I award you maximum internet points most glorious leader.

          • THICKnSLOW on 22/03/2024 - 09:44

            @gyrex: I'm all for choosing a more efficient, cost effective, 'environmentally friendly' and 'healthier' choice of cooking methods, but we need a decent infrastructure and contigency plans in place when the power goes out.

            We had a big debacle in Victoria last month where some residents were without power for days. In 2024 Australia, that is really unacceptable.

            • gyrex on 22/03/2024 - 10:18

              @THICKnSLOW:

              we need a decent infrastructure and contigency plans in place when the power goes out

              I'm not disagreeing with you there mate. As I said, maybe we're lucky where we get maybe 1 longer outage every 2 years…?

  • ForkSnorter on 21/03/2024 - 09:25
    +3

    Cost should not be the only consideration. Gas fills your house with benzene (a carcinogen), formaldehyde(a carcinogen), carbon monoxide (poison), and small particles (carcinogenic).

    Gas cooking has recently been linked to increased risk of cancers, including leukemia.

    Furthermore, gas stoves can leak these substances even when not being used. I would never choose gas given the option, and I would remove a gas stove immediately if it was in my house.

    • figarow on 21/03/2024 - 11:17

      What about candles instead of lights?

  • rlf on 21/03/2024 - 13:04
    +1

    There are literally zero pros to gas cookstoves. People are insane.

    • figarow on 21/03/2024 - 15:36
      +1

      There are literally zero pros to gas cookstoves

      No. What about my inner chef?

      People are insane

      Yes

    • Ononono on 21/03/2024 - 20:40
      -1

      Gas is nicer to cook on, it's more responsive and there's sensory feedback that you get by cooking with a real fire that can't be replicated with electric.

      Can't use copper or aluminium pots.

      Can't cook with anything that's not perfectly flat on the bottom.

      Can't fire roast capsicum, eggplants, light a candle, etc.

      Induction tops are fragile, set down a 15L stock pot too hard and it might crack.

      Almost every restaurant uses gas stoves, they must all be insane…

      • Roe Jogan on 22/03/2024 - 09:09
        +1

        flip side to the coin,

        much safer,
        less annoying to turn on
        easier to clean cooktop
        looks sleeker
        heats up way faster
        we have set 15l pots no cracks lol
        and if you have solar it will cost you less

  • Roe Jogan on 21/03/2024 - 16:05

    ill report back in a few months, had solar installed now got an electric magnetic cooktop, so far for the month ive clocked in 16 dollars for electricity, we are 2/3 of the way into the month,

    i think the money ill save on gas will be offsetted to the electricity bill. system is 13.2kw and so it produced around $70 dollars worth (sell backk) at 10c per kw with origin, for the month to date. so i only owe them 16 dollars for the month so far.

    • gyrex on 22/03/2024 - 09:07

      10c FiT? Where do you live?

      • Roe Jogan on 22/03/2024 - 09:07

        Sydney, origin plan bro

        • gyrex on 22/03/2024 - 09:09

          That's amazing! Is it capped to a certain amount of kWh exported? I like your pseudonym btw :)

          • Roe Jogan on 22/03/2024 - 09:10
            +1

            @gyrex: nah unlimited thats the beauty 10c all day

            • gyrex on 22/03/2024 - 10:16

              @Roe Jogan: Good for you mate! Ovo used to offer 10c/kWh (Sunshine Coast/Energex QLD) but they shafted us down to 8c and now I reckon they'll pull us down to 5c - bastards.

  • MessyG on 21/03/2024 - 19:42
    +2

    I just covered up my stove with a big wooden board and put a portable induction cooktop on top. More efficient, cheaper, and gets super hot.

    • figarow on 21/03/2024 - 22:35

      Nice, is it just the one burner element? I might do the same but would need the 4 elements.

      • MessyG on 22/03/2024 - 10:06
        +1

        Yes just one, it's all I need but appreciate others are better cooks than I. I bought a two handled stainless steel work for it too which works well.

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