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Thread: Gas or Electric Ovens

  1. #61
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    I recently received a survey from my local natural gas supplier. They were asking how I would react if they generated their gas from renewable sources (gas from bio mass). What I told them is if I wanted to go with renewable energy, I'd go electric since I have solar panels on my house. I'd add a few panels to accommodate the extra energy needed.
    I don't quite understand. Are you concerned that it would smell like cow farts? This is probably what they think they might have to contend with.

  2. #62
    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Dawson View Post
    I don't quite understand. Are you concerned that it would smell like cow farts? This is probably what they think they might have to contend with.
    No, I don't understand why you would even think that - such an idea never even occurred to me. Residential natural gas is mostly methane with the addition of an odor chemical. I expect that if they make natural gas from bio mass it will be essentially the same as natural gas obtained from fossil fuel and will have the same smell.

    My comment is that if I want to go with renewable energy, I'd go electricity because I can generate electricity from solar panels on my house.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  3. #63
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    No, I don't understand why you would even think that - such an idea never even occurred to me. Residential natural gas is mostly methane with the addition of an odor chemical. I expect that if they make natural gas from bio mass it will be essentially the same as natural gas obtained from fossil fuel and will have the same smell.
    It's gotta go somewhere. It will either be torched, vented, or used for a good purpose.

  4. #64
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Barry View Post
    I'd let your bride decide what she wants.

    That doesn't necessarily work well anymore in many households...you cannot assume the "bride" is the one doing the cooking...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #65
    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Dawson View Post
    It's gotta go somewhere. It will either be torched, vented, or used for a good purpose.
    Maybe so, but I can generate electricity free (after the initial purchase of the panels). I have to pay for natural gas each month. If I was inclined to go "renewable" I'd choose to go with electricity.

    If you want to go with "renewable" natural gas, that's your business and your choice. I think I've made my choice very clear to you.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  6. Gas. Notice what the professionals cook on?

    Second if the power goes out you can still cook and if you crack a window for ventilation help heat the house

  7. #67
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    +1 for induction cooktop. I get a better simmer than I ever got with gas and it boils much faster.
    i timed myself making cook type chocolate pudding. From the time I took the milk from the fridge to the time I put the finished pudding into the fridge was 7 minutes.

    ive never had a gas oven but I’ve heard that bread bakers swear by them because of the humidity. Our elic oven came with a little water tray

    but, I can attest to the convenience of the ranges with the mini oven over a full size one. We do 95% of our baking in the smaller oven. It preheats fast!

  8. #68
    5* on wolf induction cooktop--or any good induction one. Ours is faster than gas or resistance electric; the surface is easy to clean and, considering the short time-to-boil intervals, probably no more expensive than gas. Altho I don't do a lot of pastry baking, I'm satisfied with electric ovens.

  9. #69
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    My bride, an engineer, usually says, “I don’t really care.” It is kind of frustrating since I want her buy in on big purchases. We just remodeled the first floor and she didn’t see the range (gas cooktop with double electric oven) until it was installed. On the other hand I didn’t have to tell her how much it costs.

  10. #70
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    I recently received a survey from my local natural gas supplier. They were asking how I would react if they generated their gas from renewable sources (gas from bio mass). What I told them is if I wanted to go with renewable energy, I'd go electric since I have solar panels on my house. I'd add a few panels to accommodate the extra energy needed.
    A few extra solar panels might work for electric heat in California, but not in Minnesota. I have 33 solar panels that will generate just over 10,000 KWH this year. My house had baseboard electric heat when I bought it. The house was using close to 50,000 KWH with electric heat. I would have to install over 100 more panels to go with electric heat.

    Heat pumps don't really work in Minnesota without backup heat which is often natural gas. Geothermal is rare because of the high cost to install the loops.

  11. #71
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    I read most of the responses, but not ALL...but wanted to chime in to OP.
    I have had both nat. gas and electric. I find the comparisons interesting...
    I will comment on the cost of nrg (energy) factor at the end. Some areas of the USA the two nrg sources are similar, others, one is significantly higher than the other. Here in SCal in MY dual utilities, electricity is 4x higher cost (net usage after efficiency) than nat. gas, but cooking for most households use a very small amount of nrg vs. the entire house.

    Cooktop
    If you have 2400V/60amp available (I realize OP does NOT, kudos to ww getting the nod over cooking ) an electric cook top, specially infra red, is very impressive. It will boil a pot of water much faster than my 60K BTU gas cooktop. While most of the burners are sized with similar BTU, the electric is very efficient in transfering the heat to the metal pot vs. a flame, which tends to disperse heat around the sides of the pot into the exhaust. So a lot of wasted heat with a flame. I was quite surprised at this finding. Also, Gas is very hard to control at low temps, electric is simple to keep a pot of soup warm, without boiling it.

    Oven
    The biggest difference is water vapor in the oven. As mentioned above, natural gas combustion by product is mostly water vapor. When cooking meats, this is prob. favorable. When baking cakes, I would think not, as u are trying to remove water content from the cake. With equal thermostats, temp control should be similar. Not all ovens are created equal, there is low / high quality for each.

    Other consideriations of the two fuel sources...
    With Gas, not only does it discharge CO2, but also CO, a deadly gas, some people are ultra sensitive to it, even at low levels. Headaches, lightheaded, dizzy, fatigue, etc. At sea level, the % of CO release is minimal, but at 3k elevation and higher, its much more significant, so exhaust ventilation is even more critical. Then, for every CFM you exhaust, you will bring in the same amount of CFM of outside air that must heated or cooled. In zero degree weather, or 100 deg weather, this is significant. So add this to the nrg equation. So even with cheaper cost of gas in most areas, this can tilt the cost benefit back to electric.

    NRG cost considerations
    in some utilities you pay a premium for Peak Demand. An electric range going full bore will surely peak your demand, raising your rates that month, and maybe many months after, based on whether you have a ratchet clause in your tariff. AGain, sometimes this is a non issue... there is still places in USA that charge $.05 per kwh, while others are as high as $.035 per kwh, which is a 7x price variable for the same unit of nrg.

    In my world, even with high elect rates here, $.30 kwh, I cook so little, cost is a non issue. I have the elect. capacity as I brought in a new 400amp service. So for me, electric wins for many reasons. Easier on control on cook top, no water vapor from oven, and since I am sensitive to CO2 and CO, all electric is ideal for my use. Hopefully this thread will help others in the future who also contemplate this decision.

  12. #72
    If you have the budget and like gas, go ahead.

    If you live in a warm area, keep in mind that when you are cooking on gas and running that big hood to exhaust the fumes, you are pumping out your air cooled by A/C too.

    It's kind of like whether you prefer a Festool or Makita track saw.. they both cut wood.
    I don't think the extra expense of gas is worth it, but I would not criticize anyone for choosing it.

  13. #73
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    Biff, the big exhaust fan isn't there for removing the fumes from burning gas...it's to relieve what comes off the food and cookware, both for heat and smoke as well as for odors and aerosolized grease. Even folks with traditional electric or the far superior induction cooktops should be using vent hoods while cooking and not the kind that just take air in and put it directly back into the room...the exhaust should "leave the building". I do agree that running an exhaust hood will remove conditioned air (heated or cooled) just as direct venting a dust collection system will do so, but that's only a partial consideration. My hood is 1200 CFM and I can feel the replacement air coming in from other areas when I have it cranked out of necessity! In some jurisdictions, externally exhausting hoods over a cooktop are required...as they should be, IMHO.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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