• gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    Induction is far superior to gas which is far superior to electric.

    Gas is problematic for a lot of reasons:

    • the infrastructure leaks from the supplier to your house
    • the infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain compared to electricity
    • the infrastructure is dangerous compared to electricity
    • gas stoves leak harmful chemicals into your house
    • using them reduces the air quality in your house
    • they transfer a relatively small amount of their output heat into your cookware compared to induction (which also means they heat up your kitchen more)
    • they’re less responsive than induction
    • every moment of their use is furthering climate change significantly more when compared to induction, and paying for that infrastructure to a home locks that house into that decision for decades at a time.

    Gas has some benefits to induction, but if it was invented today very few people would use it because it’s so much worse than induction.

    This comment isn’t to say “people who use gas are bad or in danger”, it’s just saying at the technical level and from a societal perspective there’s no meaningful reason to use gas as your main heating element’s source of power.

    • generic_rock@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      I have seen some good points for induction in this thread but I can’t see how it could better for the enviroment, in places without renewable energy.

      As I stated in another comment: the grid of the area I live is mainly powered by coal. That power plant consumes a train and a half of coal every day; besides the released carbon, coal power also releases radioactive isotopes into the surrounding area - far more of a radiation hazard than modern nuclear power.

      My home came with both power and gas hookups in the kitchen, but the wiring is… Something… And would cost a ton to redo - I don’t even live in too poor of an area, so I can only image how bad other homes could be.

      Buying a gas stove and installing proper ventilation(also none in the home when purchased) was much cheaper than hiring an electrician and buying an induction stove.

      If you like induction and live in an area with a mostly-renewable power grid - more power to you.

      You do make a good point about gas line safety and maintenance - something I’ll need to look into, for my area.

      • gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world
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        4 hours ago

        This is a common misunderstanding, to the point of it being propaganda pushed by oil companies to cause confusion, but electrifying everything is always better long-term than not. From a monetary stand point but most definitely from an environment perspective.

        Your area will not always be powered by coal. It is already some degree powered by green energy, it will only get more green over time - and rather quickly with the price of green energy and battery solutions plummeting. Even if it stayed coal powered for a significant amount of time, the reality is gas takes energy to drill, energy to refine, energy to transport, energy to store and deliver the last few miles (km), and then some (or most) of the energy that reaches your house is lost in conversion.

        Electricity is increasingly becoming free to generate, there is no refinement, no energy cost to transport, less energy to store and deliver the last few miles, and then most of the energy that reaches your house is used for it’s intended purpose. Pure electricity is highly efficient and it’s only getting greener.

        As for cost, again I’m not wise to everyone’s situation, but gas has a constant cost that will always be higher over the long-term compared to electricity that - if I had to make a bet - I’d say will pay back the upfront costs on the order of years and not decades at worst.

        That being said, yes, we are all getting poorer and housing is one of societies big failures right now and there’s no shame in not being able to afford the healthy, optimal items right now. That’s late stage capitalism, we need to tax billionaires and multi-millionaires out of existence.

        But the reality is gas is worse in every metric, and it is definitely worse for the environment regardless of the power generation sources your local area currently uses. It’s fine if you have to use it, it’s fine if you can’t afford the alternative (although please calculate long term cost to likely save yourself money), just don’t believe gas is better or cheaper or more environmentally friendly.

    • FackCurs@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      You forgot that the induction glass top doesn’t get as hot because the heating happens in the pan. It’s safer if you have children and it is much easier to clean than gas or resistive electric.

      Also there’s no open flame in your house, your kitchen rag won’t catch on fire by mistake.

    • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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      9 hours ago

      Key reasons people choose the stoves they choose:

      1. “It came with the place.” Unless something breaks, you use the stove you have.

      2. Price.
        My induction stove was over $1,000. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but yeah.

      Compared to $300 to $500 for electric and $500 to $700 for gas (plus gas line installation if you don’t have it.)

      • AA5B@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Must be nice. Mine cost a fortune and still isn’t usable.

        • $2,300 to install a new circuit, because it also required a sub panel to open a slot
        • $3,400 for the stove because induction is rare here and they do not have base models
        • $400 to cap off the gas line (coming Monday)
        • -$600 incentive because at least my state is trying
        • ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net
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          6 hours ago

          $3,400 for the stove because induction is rare here and they do not have base models

          WTF? The most expensive one they have in media markt in Spain cost 2000 Euro. Normal models cost around 300. You could have told me, I would just send you one.

        • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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          6 hours ago

          Yeah, fortunately in my case we replaced an electric stove with induction so the power circuit was already in place.

          I could see installing or removing a gas line would be a huge headache. We do have a gas furnace and water heater. I can’t imagine what would be involved in swapping them out.

      • gusgalarnyk@lemmy.world
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        8 hours ago

        I mean this isn’t a discussion about what stove you should use if you have one stove. This is a discussion about which is superior and which you should pursue if given the opportunity.

        There are a painful number of Americans (and now Germans) who still prefer gas over induction for one reason or the other. A large portion of the Americans in my experience think this way because of the lobbying campaigns of gas companies to make gas seem better or safer than it is.

        So ya, if you rent (increasingly most people because late stage capitalism) I’m not talking about how much worse your stove is compared to induction to shame you. I’m talking to everyone who has an opportunity to change someone’s mind on it, buy a new stove for a new construction, or replace their stove when it dies (or sooner if you can swing it).

        And there’s no way the gas stove doesn’t cost more over even it’s first couple of years compared to induction. The price of gas will only go up with time, electricity will only go down with time.

        • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
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          8 hours ago

          Yup, I think too, a lot of it is media driven. If you look at the cooking shows on TV it’s all gas unless they are doing grilling then it’s 50/50 gas vs. charcoal.