Cooking with Gas

Good ol´ murphy. When things seem to be going swimmingly, I am thrown a curve ball. I need to replace a freestanding stove/oven, which will set me back a tad. But it's a minor set back as by choosing an eco-friendly stove/oven it will be both sustainable and cost effective in the long run. So do eco-ovens exist?

First thing’s first, gas or electric?

The obvious choice would be electric given that the average gas oven uses 1.5 kwh whereas an electric oven uses 1.2 kwh. BUT keep reading… it’s the supply of energy to an electric oven which is of concern. About 78% of electricity consumed in Australia is generated by burning coal. This supply process requires several energy conversions and transport of the energy from its source. At each stage energy is wasted. The result is that only about 20% of the energy produced by burning coal actually reaches the oven compared to 100% gas combustion energy.

The inefficiency of converting coal to electricity means that overall, gas is a much more energy-efficient way of powering ovens. Cooking with gas reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 70% when compared with appliances using coal-generated electricity.

For extra efficiency, choose a fan-forced oven as it will further reduce your cooking time.

Bummer I’m not a Queenslander as if I were I could claim a $500 government rebate for installing gas appliances in an existing home. Oh well, you win some you lose some!

Note: Ideally, an electric oven that uses 100% GreenPower would be zenith but as a landlord I can’t insist on the tenant choosing GreenPower or can i?