Electric or Gas Cooktop?

[RivShore]

The new electric burners I have, have no click or push in, even to turn on. They are way to easy to turn.

What brand?

Amazing how the government has such big problems with gas ranges but has no problems letting these fire hazards on the market, as long as they are electric...

 

[Deb]

I know the OP is going with gas but I thought I would pipe in anyway

I had gas all my life and when I was moving a few years back I was having trouble finding a house with a gas kitchen. I ultimately choose a new build with no gas on the street. I really didn't want electric so I went with induction and I love it. Someone a page or so back asked about how much control you have. Mine, which is nowhere near high end, has L, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and P for Power Boost. P will boil water quickly. I can leave a pan with a small mount of food on L with no worry about burning so food is still warm for second helpings. I loved the control I always had with gas but induction is better. Just no fire roasted peppers as someone else mentioned.

 

[Imzadi]

What brand?

Amazing how the government has such big problems with gas ranges but has no problems letting these fire hazards on the market, as long as they are electric...

I don't know. The printed on name (only) scrubbed off a while back. Probably so that the company couldn't be found after having caused a fire. It wasn't a big name company. The landlord got the burners for us when he switched over from gas.

 

[NotUrsula]

I actually looked at that GE today. I had high hopes but the grates were really cheap and lightweight. I was really surprised.

I think that one may be their "can't repair it but doesn't want to spend much on a replacement' model. The grates on our GE slide-in range are solid as a rock and weigh a TON; they are also double-wide. You're supposed to be able to put them in the dishwasher, but mine are so heavy to pick up and move that I'm not doing much moving of them; kind of afraid that if I drop it on my foot I'll never walk again, LOL.

 

[MillauFr]

I got a Bosch induction stove when we redid our kitchen. I wanted gas but the air quality problems turned me off. Plus the amount of ventilation they were going to have to install to meet code requirements was crazy.

 

[Moliphino]

The new electric burners I have, have no click or push in, even to turn on. They are way to easy to turn. The stove does have a red light. But, that light is only on during heat up, it goes off when it reaches temperature. So, I might not notice the burner's been on for 5 minutes, (when I had brushed past it to do the dishes,) and am walking out of the kitchen and the red light is off but the burner is on.

My knobs are easy to turn, but they're on the back of the stove so not easy to do accidentally. My stove has a light for "burner on" and one for "hot burner" that stays on after you've turned the burner off until it cools down to some safe temp.

<soapbox>
I cannot stand the political push to eliminate gas stoves. Natural gas is a waste by-product of drilling and refining fuel we are using anyway. You either put it in a pipe and let me and my neighbors use it for cooking and heating, you flair it off at the refinery (that is the fire you see as you pass a refinery) or you de-gas it to the environment. Guess which option is best for the environment? Consumer gas by a big margin. Just stop it already.</soapbox>

It's not the gas itself, it's the air quality problems it causes inside your house.

 

[Jeannie]

curious-with the full blown tops what are the increments you can adust the temp of a burner up and down? my only experience is with my single burner portable induction and one of the issues i've found is with something like changing from a boil to a simmer in which case the incremental restrictions don't work quite as well for me as gas which i can adjust just a smidge up or down.

My Bosch cooktop has settings from 0 - 9 and then a 'speed boost'. There is a dot between each number that is a half increment, so 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5 for example. I feel that I can adjust the heat up or down much more precisely than I could with the gas cooktop it replaced.

 

[tvguy]

<soapbox>
I cannot stand the political push to eliminate gas stoves.

Health and safety issue, the political push has been by those opposed.

 

[_19disnA]

There is no political push to eliminate gas stoves. That is nonsense spread by those taking the studies out of context. Natural gas is also used in the northern part of the US as the primary source of home heating. I doubt that is going away anytime soon either...............LOL.

 

[RivShore]

There is no political push to eliminate gas stoves. That is nonsense spread by those taking the studies out of context. Natural gas is also used in the northern part of the US as the primary source of home heating. I doubt that is going away anytime soon either...............LOL.

NY needs to learn how to read the studies then...

Bye-bye blue flame? NY to require gas-free new buildings
https://apnews.com/article/environment-gas-ban-stoves-612319f94b42b035921bf30aad141780

 

[_19disnA]

Will see when/if that gets implemented. Heat pumps only work efficiently in parts of the country with mild winters and NY is certainly not part of that. Electric heat in colder climates is VERY expensive and not cost effective, never mind the fact we already can't generate all of the electricity needed at various times. Most legislation makes an initial splash or looks to see how the public reacts. What the eventual result will be is anyone's guess. Also wouldn't surprise me to see various challenges in court.

 

[kdonnel]

Heat pumps only work efficiently in parts of the country with mild winters and NY is certainly not part of that.

That is no longer true of modern heat pumps.


https://www.blocpower.io/posts/cold-climate-heat-pumps

At one point, heat pump technology was unsuitable in cold climates. That’s no longer the case: Over the past few years, heat pump adoption has surged in Norway, Sweden, and other Northern European climates with relatively harsh winters.

Heat pumps are incredibly efficient. As much as 400% efficient meaning four times as much heat is produced for the energy used.

Gas furnaces can be 90% to 98.5% efficient but those installed are generally 80%.

 

[RivShore]

That is no longer true of modern heat pumps.


https://www.blocpower.io/posts/cold-climate-heat-pumps


Heat pumps are incredibly efficient. As much as 400% efficient meaning four times as much heat is produced for the energy used.

Gas furnaces can be 90% to 98.5% efficient but those installed are generally 80%.

That may be the case on paper but how well does it do at actually making the inside of the house feel warm? For example a house in Maryland, where it can still get cold in the winter, had a heat pump and it ran constantly on cold days and could barely keep the house above 65. Maybe if you have a new, super insulated home, it will work in the north but if you have an average home of average age, not sure it will do the job. We have actually had some cold nights in the south where we had to use the auxiliary heat on our newer heat pump and there is no way that is efficient - it is just an old fashioned heating coil used to supplement the heat pump. Made for some ugly electric bills in the dead of winter that we did not expect.

 

[NotUrsula]

The thing is, most people only replace a furnace when it dies, and that's generally about every 30 years, so it's going to take that long before "modern" machinery is in every home. No matter how much people try to change matters in a hurry, it's not going to happen.

My particular gas furnace (yes, a furnace, not a heat pump) is only 7 months old, and it is 98% efficient. It replaced one that was installed in this home in 1993, when we bought it. (And that replaced one that had been installed in 1978.) The stove and water heater happened to have been replaced that same month, and they are all the highest-efficiency gas models available at this time.

I understand this particular pollution argument, and the information is important to know, so I don't want it hidden, but in my case I'm willing to knowingly live with it -- there are several other environmental pollutants in my life that pose a much higher risk to me and mine than Natural Gas does, without nearly so much benefit in trade. If I'm going to expend energy and money eliminating a pollutant, gas is kind of far down my list.

 

[kdonnel]

That may be the case on paper but how well does it do at actually making the inside of the house feel warm? For example a house in Maryland, where it can still get cold in the winter, had a heat pump and it ran constantly on cold days and could barely keep the house above 65. Maybe if you have a new, super insulated home, it will work in the north but if you have an average home of average age, not sure it will do the job. We have actually had some cold nights in the south where we had to use the auxiliary heat on our newer heat pump and there is no way that is efficient - it is just an old fashioned heating coil used to supplement the heat pump. Made for some ugly electric bills in the dead of winter that we did not expect.

Did you specifically have a cold climate heat pump?

Norway, Finland, and Sweden have the most heat pumps per capita. I don't think people there would continue to install heat pumps if they did not work.

High-HSPF heat pumps can handle cold weather. At temperatures below -20°F, cold climate heat pumps still provide dependable heat, and many models are 100% efficient at sub-freezing temperatures. Since they consume less electricity in moderate weather, heat pumps cost much less to operate than legacy systems like combustion furnaces and boilers. For building owners, that means enormous savings over time.

 

[RivShore]

Did you specifically have a cold climate heat pump?

Norway, Finland, and Sweden have the most heat pumps per capita. I don't think people there would continue to install heat pumps if they did not work.

It was older so I doubt it was a cold climate, but some professional thought it was good enough for MD winters.

I would question what indoor temperature those countries feel is acceptable. Europeans have a different idea of indoor comfort than much of the US, given the very old buildings and lack of central (or any) AC and central heat, they may find 55 or 60 degrees inside on a cold winters day acceptable...me, not so much. LOL

Like a few others have said, I question the wisdom of putting all our eggs in the electric basket - in most places it is much more expensive than gas, our grids already can't handle the demands today, electric is the most susceptible to transmission issues, and a cyber attack could put us instantly back to the stone age. Just seems like not a great idea to me to not spread our energy needs over as many methods as possible.

 

[kdonnel]

It was older so I doubt it was a cold climate, but some professional thought it was good enough for MD winters.

I would question what indoor temperature those countries feel is acceptable. Europeans have a different idea of indoor comfort than much of the US, given the very old buildings and lack of central (or any) AC and central heat, they may find 55 or 60 degrees inside on a cold winters day acceptable...me, not so much. LOL

Like a few others have said, I question the wisdom of putting all our eggs in the electric basket - in most places it is much more expensive than gas, our grids already can't handle the demands today, electric is the most susceptible to transmission issues, and a cyber attack could put us instantly back to the stone age. Just seems like not a great idea to me to not spread our energy needs over as many methods as possible.

I have no reason to not believe it but a Google search finds:

In Norway, thermostat settings vary, but commonly in winter, temperatures indoors can range from 18-22°C (64-72°F). In summer, Norwegians often keep it slightly cooler, around 18-20°C (64-68°F), aiming for a comfortable balance between warmth in winter and a cool environment during warmer months.

Those don't seem like unreasonable temps for winter indoors.

I understand your point of not wanting all your eggs in one basket but at the same time there are generally efficiency and presumably cost savings associated with economy of scale which also in theory makes it easier to secure instead of having to secure multiple systems.

 

[RivShore]

I have no reason to not believe it but a Google search finds:


Those don't seem like unreasonable temps for winter indoors.

Those temps are not too bad at all. Just wonder if the high end is really being achieved with the heat pump alone (no aux heat).

 

[akl432]

ease of cleaning was a consideration when we were shopping-of the gas options i am so glad we went with thermador b/c the 'star burners' they have make for the easiest clean up of any gas cooktop i've ever experienced. while it's taken me a bit to get used to i'm also a fan of their simmer setting.



one strong suggestion when shopping for a stove/oven-RESEARCH who you will purchase it from. our buying process took over a year b/c we initialy went with the long established very (historicaly) respected appliance chain. we did not know it had gone to pot in recent years and their customer service reviews and bbb ratings had become horrific. wrong orders/missing parts/terrible customer service-we experienced it all and finaly cancelled the entire order, called it quits and put off the process for several months. we won't buy through lowes/home depot or those types of places b/c we've heard the nightmares on returns/dealing with them and their subcontractors. we ended up going with a company called Ferguson. i highly recommend them-the sales people are 'old school'-they know the products they sell, the customer service is excellent-and if you have ANY question or problem they are SO responsive. if they can't address it they facilitate communication/repair with the manufacturer FAST. when we price compared we saw that with some brands the manufacturer offers the same sales to all their authorized sellers so while the big box stores may seem like they are have a crazy good sale the same sale is had at the smaller more responsive sales environment.

Ferguson sounds like a great option for us for appliances! Could you please let us know if this is a national chain, and what is their website? I tried searching and couldn't find them. Thank you!

 

[DizneyFamof4]

Not even close, definitely gas stove, heat and dryer. We noticed a big difference in baking with gas over electric. Electric tops can break if you accidentally drop something, like a salt shaker, on it, that happened to ours With the flat surface you are always tempted to put stuff down on it, like a plastic spatula etc and not knowing the burner was still very hot. I also find it funny that electric companies brag that they are using natural gas to help save "them" $$$