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Over the years, and with the continuous technological innovations also in the home, we have seen several of our small and large appliances evolve and change. Among these is also the hob of our kitchen, which today, in addition to proposing the well-established Gas hobs, sees the spread of the brand new Induction hobs.
With this short article we will analyze and explain the main differences between these two cooktops, highlighting the pros and cons of each.
Although still widely present in most Italian homes, an analysis of this historical type of hob is a must.
As the name suggests, this plan operates by supplying and burning methane gas, in the case of newer appliances, or LPG gas, in the case of older systems.
The main parts that make up Gas cooktops are:
As far as energy efficiency is concerned, the most modern gas cooker hobs are able to guarantee an excellent performance.65% efficiency.
With regard to durability, gas cooker hobs, with correct weekly maintenance, can easily last for 20 yearsthanks to the simplicity of their components.
Our Gas Hobs → ArredoItaliano ←
Induction hobs, on the other hand, are powered by common household electricity. They have glass-ceramic surfaces like the more general electric hobs, but they work in a totally different way since they do not heat the glass-ceramic surface, but rather directly the pot placed on it.
As you can understand from the name, this type of hob exploits the induction principle. In practice, through coils crossed by an electric current, a magnetic field is generated that directly heats the base of the pots with ferrous bottom without heating the table top at all.
Thanks to this physical principle, theefficiency is higher than 90%thus guaranteeing an almost completely negligible waste of energy.
As far as durability is concerned, Induction hobs, while not requiring any maintenance, may last less than their Gas counterparts due to more complex and more stressed components.
The main parts that make up Induction cooktops are:
Our Induction Hobs → ArredoItaliano ←
If for Gas hobs the pan compartment is a completely free and open world, the same cannot be said for Induction hobs. The latter, in fact, NEED of compatible pans in order to function. In this sense we are talking about pans, pots and pans with ferrous bottom.
Since induction hobs are very popular, especially abroad, it is easy nowadays to find many products that are perfectly compatible with the new induction cooking.
However, if you are switching from a gas hob to an induction hob, you will have to change all the pots and pans in your home. In fact, as already explained, aluminium, copper, ceramic and even glass pans will not allow the Induction hob to work properly, thus making it completely impossible to cook food.
Another fundamental difference between these two hob solutions concerns the hood. For Gas cooker hobs, the hood is MANDATORY by law, while for Induction hobs, in addition to not having any type of regulatory requirement, very often the same Induction hobs are equipped with a sophisticated integrated suction system for cooking fumes and vapours.
Our Hoods → ArredoItaliano ←
As mentioned above, induction hobs have the great advantage of having an absolutely unparalleled energy efficiency. If, in fact, well-made gas cooker hobs can at most achieve an efficiency of 65%, induction cooker hobs can easily reach and in some cases exceed 90%.
This peculiarity of induction hobs is due to the fact that almost all the heat generated is transferred directly to the base of the pan. This passage is completely impossible for Gas hobs since, in the case of the latter, most of the thermal energy released by the flame is dispersed into the home environment.
Greater energy efficiency will therefore guarantee a lower expenditure of energy and therefore lower consumption on our bills. Greater energy efficiency = Greater savings.
However, not all that glitters is gold. If, on paper, induction hobs guarantee lower consumption, we have to deal with two big problems.
First of all, induction hobs fall into the category of large household appliances as far as energy absorption is concerned. Therefore, if we decide to adopt a cooker hob of this type we will have to make sure that our meter is powerful enough to handle the new energy load required to avoid annoying blackouts.
Secondly, the cost of electricity is much higher than that of gas. Therefore, if our only source of electricity supply is the national grid, even though we have lower consumption we will have to face higher expenses than gas cooktops.
Assuming a rough estimate of consumption, here is a concrete example. To need 500 kWh of pot heat per year, and taking into account a thermal efficiency at 50%, with the gas hob, we would need 1000 kWh per year. With induction hobs, on the other hand, we would need about 550 kWh / year of electricity.
With gas hobs we need about 95 m³/year of gas to cook, for an expenditure of 75 Euro/year.
With the induction hobs we would need 550 kWh/year of electricity for an expenditure of 105 Euro/year.
Referring only to consumption and operating costs, in a normal situation of electricity supply from the state network, we can say that there is no real convenience in Induction hobs, precisely because the cost of electricity is much higher than that of methane.
Totally different, however, would be the case in which our home was equipped with photovoltaic panels. In this case, the energy cost required by induction hobs would be zero. In this case, the induction cooking system would be truly ideal given the total independence and energy self-sufficiency of the house.
In any case, whatever the final choice, switching to a new generation cooker hob with an efficiency class not lower than A+ will guarantee not only savings in bills, but also tax benefits thanks to the → Bonus Furniture of the Revenue Agency ←
From the point of view of safety, it is impossible not to keep an eye on induction hobs. In fact, even though modern gas cooker hobs have reached truly excellent safety standards, maximum safety can only be achieved by completely banning all types of gas from our homes. With induction hobs, there will be no more dangers of gas leaks.
In addition, since induction hobs are designed to heat only the surfaces for which they were created, it will be completely impossible to burn yourself if you put your hand on the glass-ceramic hob, something that could easily happen with gas hobs since an open flame is used.
Another point in favour of induction hobs. A perfectly smooth surface and non-porous material such as glass ceramic will allow you to clean the hob with just a few strokes of a sponge. Not to mention that induction hobs do not require any weekly maintenance.
Gas cooker hobs are a totally different matter. In fact, since they are composed of several interlocking components and/or are placed one on top of the other, it will take more than a few minutes to disassemble and clean each individual piece. This cleaning and maintenance procedure is absolutely necessary to avoid partial or irreparable damage to the Gas cooker hobs.
