Why Do Induction Cooktops Use A Lot Of Electricity? (Save And Reduce Your Electric Bill)

Induction cooktops are becoming famous for the unique features they provide. This is a special type of electric cooktop that gets its power from induction technology. But do induction cooktops use a lot of electricity due to the induction technology?

So, why does induction cooktop use a lot of electricity, and how can I reduce my electric bills? Keep reading this article to find out the answer to these questions.

What Is An Induction Cooktop?

An induction cooktop is a special type of electric cooktop. It comes with a smooth, flat glass surface and touch controls. It gives a modern look to your kitchen. Most importantly, the whole cooking process of induction ranges is different from other traditional electric or gas stoves.

How Induction Cooktop Work?

At first, induction cooking might seem like magic. There is no heat coming from the stove, but the pan on it is heating up. How is that possible? Well, it is the science of induction technology. Induction stoves rely on electromagnetic fields to generate heat. An electromagnetic field continuously creates waves within its specific, limited area. These waves can generate heat within specific types of materials.

Under every induction cooking zone, there remains a copper coil. When electric currents pass through it, the copper coil turns into an electromagnet and produces a magnetic field. When you place your cookware on it, the magnetic field causes the molecules of the cookware to vibrate rapidly, which creates friction and ultimately generates heat within the cookware itself without heating the cooking surface.

An important thing to remember is that induction cookers only work with magnetic materials. This means not all pans are induction-compatible. Pans or pots that are made from ferromagnetic material or have a magnetized base are compatible with induction cookers.

Do Induction Cooktops Use A Lot Of Electricity?

Why do induction cookers use a lot of electricity? A few liters of water can boil on induction stovetops in a few minutes. This process must need a lot of power—a couple of kilowatts. So, yes, induction does use a lot of electricity.

So even though they require a lot of electricity, the use of electricity is much less in time. So they end up using less electricity compared to other electric kitchen appliances. This makes it much more energy efficient than any electric range. As you can see, induction almost instantly heats the cookware, which cooks faster and saves time. So to heat the pan faster, the induction ranges put higher demand on the electricity grid, but for less time.

And since all the heat is used just for making the pan hot, not the cooktop surface or air, the energy waste is much less. So induction mainly needs a higher electricity grid rather than too much electricity. Many ask, also do induction ovens use a lot of electricity? Induction ovens use the same amount of electricity as an induction cooktop.

How Much Energy Does An Induction Cooktop Use? 

Now you know why do induction burners use a lot of electricity, but how much electricity do they consume? The energy consumption of an induction stove depends on its power rating. Induction stoves come in the range of 3kW to 7.6kW.

For example, if a 3kW induction model is used with a full power setting for one hour, it will use 3 kilowatts per hour. This means that after one use, the power consumption of the induction model will be the same as two units. However, the power usage of an induction model also depends on many factors. such as the size of the cookware, the type of food being cooked, and the power setting.

But as a general rule of thumb, most likely the least watts an induction cooking burner uses is 150 watts, and it can go up to the highest, which is 1500–3000 watts. For comparison, electric cooktops can use up to 5,000 watts, and gas cooktops can consume as much as 15,000 watts.

What Factors Influence The Power Consumption Of An Induction Cooktop?

Many factors influence the power consumption of an induction cooker. I already mentioned the factors that influence the power use of induction stoves. which is cookware size, power settings, cooking duration, and the type of food being cooked. Also, the power capacity of the induction model plays an important role.

• Cookware Size: The larger the cookware, the more power it consumes. That means larger cookware requires more power to heat up.
• Power Setting: A naturally higher power setting uses a higher amount of electricity.
• Cooking Time: Using your cookware to cook food for a longer time consumes more energy than using it for a short amount of time.
• Type Of Food: Foods that require longer cooking times, such as meats and stews, will consume more energy.

Induction Cooktop Power Consumption Chart

Here is a chart of how many watts an induction cooktop uses

Power Setting	Power Consumption (Watts)
1-2	500-800 W
3-4	800-1200
5-6	1000-1400 W
7-8	1400-1800 W
9-10	1800-2200 W

Induction Stoves Vs Gas Stoves Vs Electric Stoves

An induction stove is almost 10% more energy efficient than any traditional electric stove. And it is three times more energy efficient than gas stoves. So based on that, right now, on the market, induction is the most efficient way to cook food.

Cooktop Type	Average Power Consumption (Watts)
Induction Cooktop	1500-2500
Electric Cooktop	2000-3000
Gas Cooktop	12000-15000

Which Is The Best Induction Cooktop For Saving Electricity?

The types are:

• Portable Induction Cooktop: These cooktops are small and usually come with only one cooking zone. Because of this small size, the power consumption is also low.
• Build-in Induction Cooktop: These are the ones you might see in ads. This type of induction cooktop is not movable and is mounted in a permanent spot in a kitchen. This induction stovetop uses more power and comes with more than one cooking zone.
• Freestanding Induction Cooktop: This induction cooker comes with a freestanding electric oven. This feature provides many cooking options. However, it uses the most electricity.

List Of Induction Cooktops That Use Least Power

Here is a list of induction cooktops that have the highest energy efficiency:

• GE Profile 30-inch Built-In Touch Control Induction Cooktop
• IKEA Sardrag 30-inch Induction Cooktop
• Duxtop 9600LS Portable Induction Cooktop

If I had to recommend one of the three of them, I would recommend you go for the GE Profile 30-inch induction cooktop. Both three of them are very energy efficient, but the GE profile is the best among them. It is a 3.7 kW induction model and comes with many features, such as auto-pan detection, a timer, etc. It also has four rings for induction cooks who want to cook many dishes at the same time.

How To Save Electricity While Using An Induction Cooktop?

Before sharing the energy-saving tips with you, many ask: Do induction ranges use a lot of electricity? Induction ranges are a bit of a heavy consumer of energy because they can carry out big tasks. But by following the tips below, you can save on your electricity bill.

Induction stoves are already very energy efficient. By following the below practices, you can reduce the energy consumption of the house even more.

• Use the right size of cookware. That fits evenly on the burner. Too large cookware would consume a lot of energy, and small cookware would take more time to cook.
• Use the timer option. A timer will turn off your cooktop after a certain amount of time. So no extra energy won’t be lost.
• Start with a lower heat setting and increase gradually as you need.
• After cooking, make sure you turn off your cooktop.
• Do not turn on your induction if you do not need it.
• Always keep your cooktop surface clean. The clean surface ensures full heat transfer and prevents energy loss.

What Are The Benefits And drawbacks of Using An Induction Hob?

Here is a summary of the benefits of induction hobs.

• Induction hobs are much more energy efficient.
• The induction hob saves you time. It cooks food much faster.
• The induction hob allows precise temperature control, which saves electricity.

Here are the drawbacks of an induction hob.

• Induction hobs are likely to be expensive.
• To match with induction hobs, you may need to change your wire system. especially since your apartment is old.
• Induction cooktops need a higher electricity grid.

I have come to the end of your “Why does induction stove use a lot of electricity?” and I hope you found your answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

So, why do induction cooktops use a lot of electricity? This is mainly due to the faster and better cooking experience it provides. To provide such high heat and fast cooking, the induction hobs need to use high power. However, it is less than other electric ranges.