Induction hobs: consumption and advantages

More and more people are now deciding to buy an induction hob instead of the usual gas cooker. The induction hob is designed to make cooking more sustainable, and allows food to be cooked using the heat generated by the consumption of energy.

Induction hobs are very innovative, focus on design and efficiency, and achieve significant energy savings. The main difference between an induction hob and a conventional hob is that the former runs on electrical energy, which can be produced from renewable sources.

The use of electrical energy is one of the most important requirements for overcoming dependence on fuel sources such as gas, whose price variations have a heavy impact on our bills and whose CO2 emissions have a high impact on the environment. Cooking with an induction hob, in addition to the economic advantages, also means significant savings in terms of CO2 emissions. In fact, people who install an induction hob can save 245kg of CO2 compared to a conventional cooktop, the equivalent of the amount absorbed by 13 trees.

How an induction hob works

Using an induction hob means that once it is switched on, energy is transmitted to coils that generate a magnetic field, which is transferred directly to pots and pans. In this way, the induction hob recognises the presence of the pan and thus it switches on. The heat comes directly from the hotplate to the pots and pans, minimising any possible heat loss. There is no need to use a gas flame, which is why it is much safer than a traditional cooker.

This considerable reduction in heat loss means that induction hobs have a very high efficiency level, reaching 90% compared to 45% for the traditional hob, which loses a great deal of heat. That is, energy consumption is halved for the same amount of heat produced. In fact, the heat from a gas flame is mainly released into the surroundings. Cooking temperatures are easily adjusted on an induction hob, simply using a few buttons, and it is much more precise than using gas. Compared to the traditional hobs, this is much easier to clean due to its completely smooth surface, and it guarantees greater pan stability.

As far as cooking times are concerned, they are significantly faster because the pan reaches the required temperature in less time. For example, an induction hob takes about four minutes to bring a litre of water to the boil, compared to nine minutes with a traditional hob.

A widespread belief is that using the induction hob means replacing all your cookware, but in most cases this is not true. To work with an induction hob, pots and pans must have a ferrous bottom: materials such as cast iron, steel, enamelled steel and stainless steel are suitable, while aluminium, copper, brass, glass, ceramic and porcelain are not. To be sure that the pot or pan is suitable for induction cooking, you need to check the accompanying label: if there is a coil-like symbol, it can be used without any problems. Alternatively, you can test it with a magnet: if it sticks to the bottom, the pot is suitable for induction. If your cookware is not suitable, an inexpensive solution is to buy adapter discs to be placed under the pot.

How much does an induction hob consume

Induction cookers consume significantly less energy than conventional natural gas cookers because the cooking time is much shorter and therefore energy consumption is lower. With an induction hob you can save 25% on your energy bill*, as it is twice as efficient as a conventional hob in terms of energy performance.

Many people think that when buying an induction cooker it is necessary to increase the power of your energy supply. This is not true because if the electricity consumption of the house is geared towards energy efficiency, 3kW is sufficient and there is no need to increase the power supply. Try it and see.

What’s more, the standing charges for gas are generally higher than those for increasing power supply levels. Newer induction hob models have specific functions for the automatic adjustment of hob power. In this way, when several rings are on at the same time, excessive consumption is avoided by limiting power.

The advantages of the induction hob

• Bill charges: using an induction hob reduces cooking times and therefore, consumption. You can save 25% on your utility bills compared to a conventional cooker.
• Tax deduction: with the purchase of an induction hob you can benefit from the Irpef income tax deductions from the  “Furniture Bonus”.
• Energy efficiency: it has significantly less dispersion than a conventional hob, with efficiency of up to 90%.
• Safety: the hob will not heat up unless there is a pan on it, and there are no flames (perfect if there are children in the house). Risks associated with dangerous gas leaks are avoided. What is more, the heat is limited to the perimeter of the pan, which avoids the risk of burning.
• Cooking speed: the pot reaches the required temperature in much less time (more than 50% less time for food preparation).
• Cleaning: the top is all smooth so it is very easy to clean and above all, food encrustations are avoided.
• Temperature adjustment: induction allows very precise temperature adjustments compared to gas and thus avoids waste.
• Design: the glass-ceramic surface has a very attractive, modern, and elegant design and fits perfectly into modern furnishing solutions.