What's possible, what isn't and where you need to be aware
We're looking this week at some of the most energy-efficient ovens in 2022. Unfortunately, ovens aren't as straightforward as the dishwashers we looked at last time. You've got several different types of ovens to consider and try to see how they stack up against one another. Fortunately, that's where we come in.
What makes an oven energy efficient? When we were looking at dishwashers, we were comparing how much electricity and water was used by the dishwasher in question to finish a normal cycle. That's not as easy with an oven because of the number of factors that go into just cooking one recipe.
- How hot is the oven getting?
-Is the oven clean?
- What's the fuel source, and how is that energy used?
So we backed it up one step further, and took a look what would be judged for an oven to be energy-efficient.
According to Consumer Reports, there isn't currently an Energy Star rating for ranges (where a range is the combination of both an oven and a stovetop.) Because the oven and the stove can have two completely different energy sources, it makes it difficult for groups like Energy Star to decide what is and isn't energy efficient. So, we're not going to be looking for which models have an Energy Star and which don't. What can we look at then?
How about how much energy is used on a yearly basis?
An electric oven will typically cost you 12.56 cents per kilowatt hour. Most households in Texas use their oven and stove(which gets powered so long as one section is on), for at least 7 hours per week. So, you're coming up with approximately $200 per year to run your oven, at least according electricity prices averaged across Texas.
Meanwhile, a gas oven is only using fuel for the oven when the oven is lit. Rates currently are (approximately) .22 cents per hour to run a gas oven. So you end up spending approximately $80 per year for your gas oven. So, just based on fuel consumption, a gas oven is the better choice.
We will point out that in a previous post, we discussed the need to be running your exhaust fan when you're using the oven as well as the stove so that you're venting any and all fumes outdoors and your hospital bill doesn't go up from the buildup of fumes in the air you're breathing. So that does kick the price up a bit to approximately $100 a year to run your oven and the exhaust fan. But that's still half of what it costs to run the electric oven.
An important note to round this section out. Despite how they're marketed at times, as of right now, Fall of 2022, there's no such thing as a commercial induction oven. Although you can purchase an induction range, the technology isn't in the oven. It is only used as part of the stovetop. Which is a pity as we really wanted to see how that stacked up against the gas ovens.
What if you don't have a gas oven, though? As we've mentioned before, the cost to install the gas lines and purchase a gas stove can be very high upfront. So, we've put together several options for you to make your electric stove more energy efficient.
1) Make sure that your food is thoroughly defrosted before putting it into the oven. If the food has to come up from 30*F to 120*F internally, it's going to take much longer than if it only had to come up from 60*F. Letting things defrost ahead of time saves you energy.
2) Plan your meals so that you can cook several dishes at the same time. If you're planning your dishes all at once, you can cut down from having to run the oven every night to just one or two days a week.
3) Don't wait for the oven to "heat up" if you're cooking just standard foods. If the oven is coming up to temperature anyway, you might as well make use of that time rather than wasting the energy spent.
**An important note here. This absolutely doesn't apply to any type of baking or technical cooking. There the precise temperature control is necessary. These are meant to be general tips, not all-the-time tips.
4) Don't open your oven door during cooking. If you're following tip number two, this can be hard. But if you're only cooking one or two things, by opening the door, you're just making it harder on your oven. Similar to your refrigerator during a blackout, every time you open the door to the oven, air escapes that it then has to replace and bring back to the correct temperature.
5) Use glass or ceramic dishes when possible. Both glass and ceramic retain heat well and disperse it more evenly than metal dishes do. This means that you don't have to heat your oven to as high of a temperature, thus cutting down further on the amount of electricity you're using.
6) Keep your oven clean. A clean oven distributes heat more evenly and effectively.
HOWEVER. DO NOT use the self-clean button unless: a) Your oven has a steam-cleaning feature. b) You're really wanting an excuse to purchase a new gas oven anyway.
So that’s where things stand, energy-efficient ovens, are going to be gas ovens. Do you agree? Disagree? Do you have details on new ovens that we haven't run across yet? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page!
If you’re here because your oven is driving you up the wall, it’s smoking or not getting up to temperature, we can help. Reach out to us on our contact page or give us a call at ((214) 599-0055). We’ll work with you to find a time that works best for you to have one of our technicians come and get your home running again.