Oven Running Costs Explained
Finding and buying an oven in your price range is important, but if you haven’t looked at the oven’s energy usage, you may end up with an unwelcome surprise when it comes to paying your bills.
Read on to discover more about oven energy consumption including the cost to run a gas oven and an electric oven, standard oven wattage, and the most energy efficient electric ovens.
Cost to Run a Gas Oven
Gas ovens aren’t easy to come by these days. They are, however, the cheapest ovens to run.
Let’s take a closer look at what it costs to run a gas oven.
A gas oven will use roughly 1.5 kWh every time it’s used, which is around 7 pence. Do note that this is based off average energy costs, and that this figure will vary from provider to provider and tariff to tariff, but you can expect a gas oven to cost around £10 - £15 a year to run.
So why aren’t gas ovens the standard?
Electric ovens (at least those that are fan assisted, which is most) cook more evenly than gas ovens. Electric ovens also offer an advantage in the fact they can easily be installed anywhere whereas a gas oven will, obviously, need a gas supply. Electric ovens are also safer than gas ovens.
Cost to Run an Electric Oven
Electric ovens are the household standard but are more expensive to run. Let’s look at the cost to run an electric oven and its electricity consumption.
In a year, an electric oven will cost roughly £20 - £40 to run (depending on its size, energy efficiency rating, and how often you use it). The oven’s electricity consumption per use is around 18 pence, despite the fact they typically use less energy than a gas oven.
The most energy efficient electric ovens are fan-assisted ovens. A fan-assisted oven will reduce energy consumption by 20% as they heat and cool the oven faster than conventional electric models (and they’ll cook more evenly, too).
Another factor that plays into how much energy your oven will use is the size of the oven that’s being heated. A large oven uses more energy to compensate for heating the extra space in the unit.
We’re going to look at the price difference between large and small electric ovens. Assuming all of these ovens have an energy rating of A, here’s how size makes a difference:
- A small oven (up to 35L) will use 0.6 KWh per use with costs just under 10p. This will amount to just over £20 in a year.
- A medium sized oven (35 to 65L) will use 0.8 kWh per use which will cost around 13p. in a year, this adds up to just shy of £30.
- A large oven (65L or more) will use 1kWh per use, amounting to 16p. This will add up to around £37 a year.
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Gas vs Electric Ovens: Which is More Energy Efficient?
So, which is the more energy efficient option - gas or electric ovens? We’ve gone over average costs based on current energy prices. Bear in mind that these costs will vary according to providers, contracts, and tariffs.
Overall, gas ovens are cheaper to run and are more energy efficient. As we previously stated, a gas oven will cost up to £15 a year to run and an electric oven can cost upwards of £40 over the same period.
However, there are other advantages that come with an electric oven such as the fact they’re easier to move about, and that they (for most foods) cook faster, better, and more evenly. It’s up to you to decide what your priorities are when choosing an oven.
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