Which Is Cheaper, Gas or Electric Cooking?
Gas is cheaper per unit of energy but wastes more of it as heat around the pan. Induction is the most efficient electric option. Here is what the numbers say per meal and per year.
In short
Gas is typically a third to a quarter of the price of electricity per kilowatt-hour, but a gas hob delivers only about 40 percent of that energy to the pan, while induction delivers around 85 percent. The result is that gas usually still wins on running cost by a modest margin, with induction close behind and conventional electric hobs the most expensive. For most households the annual difference is under 50.
The question has a definite answer and it depends on two numbers, not one: what each fuel costs per unit, and how much of that unit reaches the food.
Price per unit
Under the UK price cap, gas costs roughly 6 to 7p per kWh and electricity roughly 24 to 27p. Electricity is about four times the price. On that basis alone, gas wins comfortably.
Efficiency
But a gas flame heats the air around the pan as well as the pan. Only about 40 percent of the energy in the gas ends up in the food. The rest warms the kitchen.
- Gas hob: around 40 percent efficient
- Ceramic or solid-plate electric hob: around 70 percent
- Induction hob: around 85 percent
So to deliver one kWh into a pan, a gas hob burns about 2.5 kWh of gas, while an induction hob draws about 1.2 kWh of electricity.
Cost per unit of cooking
Multiplying through at typical rates:
- Gas: 2.5 kWh × 6.5p = about 16p per kWh delivered to the pan
- Induction: 1.2 kWh × 25p = about 30p per kWh delivered
- Ceramic electric: 1.4 kWh × 25p = about 36p per kWh delivered
Gas remains the cheapest by a factor of roughly two against induction, once efficiency is included, and the gap against a conventional electric hob is larger.
What that means in a year
A household cooking on the hob for about 45 minutes a day uses in the region of 200 to 300 kWh of delivered energy annually. That is:
- Gas: about 35 to 50 a year
- Induction: about 60 to 90
- Ceramic: about 75 to 110
The difference between gas and induction is real and it is also small: 30 to 40 a year for most households. It is not a reason on its own to change a hob you already have.
Beyond running cost
Air quality. Gas hobs release nitrogen dioxide and fine particulates indoors, and the evidence linking them to respiratory problems, particularly in children, has strengthened. Good extraction matters if you cook on gas.
Speed and control. Induction boils water faster than any gas hob and responds to adjustments instantly. Gas has the visual feedback of a flame, which many cooks prefer.
Safety. No flame, no gas leak, and an induction surface stays cool except under the pan.
Standing charges. A home that goes all-electric and removes its gas supply stops paying the gas standing charge, which is currently over 100 a year. That single saving outweighs the running-cost difference for cooking.
Ovens and the small appliances
A gas oven is cheaper to run than electric for the same reason. But for small quantities, neither is the best choice. A microwave or an air fryer heats a tiny cavity and uses a fraction of the energy of a full oven, which for reheating or cooking one portion makes the fuel question irrelevant.
The cheapest way to cook most things is the smallest appliance that will do the job.
Common questions
Is induction cheaper to run than a ceramic hob?
Yes, noticeably. Induction heats the pan directly through a magnetic field and wastes little; a ceramic or solid-plate hob heats a surface that then heats the pan, losing a large share along the way. Induction typically uses 20 to 40 percent less electricity for the same cooking.
What about ovens?
A gas oven is usually cheaper to run than an electric one, again because of the price per unit. An electric fan oven at 180°C uses roughly 1 to 1.5 kWh per hour. Air fryers and microwaves beat both for small quantities because they heat a much smaller space.
Should I switch from gas to induction?
On running cost alone, probably not, since the saving is small and induction needs compatible pans. On air quality, speed and safety, induction has real advantages, and if you are replacing a hob anyway it is the better choice.
Sources
Every factual claim above traces to one of these. Follow them rather than taking this article's word for it.
- Energy price cap Ofgem
- Household expenditure statistics Office for National Statistics
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