More than just practical, the electric oven is a must-have for anyone who cooks a little. Few people know it, but this everyday appliance hides an energy appetite capable of swallowing up as much as 65 fridges switched on at the same time. Let’s see how best to tame it to reduce your bill!
The electric oven: your best ally in the kitchen, your worst enemy on the bill
There’s no getting around it. Certain household appliances are found in almost every US home, and the electric oven is one of them. The problem is that most people don’t realise just how much their oven consumes. It’s common knowledge that a fridge weighs quite heavily on the electricity bill. We also know that a tumble dryer on is a bit of a glutton. An electric oven that heats up a lot is even worse.
An electric oven generally has a power rating of between 2,000 and 5,000 W. In use, this can represent around 40 to 90 kWh per month, depending on how often and for how long you cook. By way of comparison, a fridge often runs at between 300 and 800 W nominal power.
Why such a difference? Quite simply because an oven has to generate and maintain high temperatures, whereas a fridge simply stabilises the internal cold. The result: when the oven heats up, the consumption curve soars and can be equivalent, at a given moment, to the operation of dozens of fridges.
A study of 100 Californian households showed that an electric oven can consume up to 26% of total consumption per year. Other everyday appliances, such as fridges, hardly ever reach such figures. Obviously, everything varies according to the size, model and length of time the oven is used: it’s logical that the higher the power and the longer it’s in use, the higher the energy consumption.
How to cook without breaking the bank
The good news is that you can continue to enjoy your oven without breaking the bank. All it takes is a few simple reflexes:
- Optimise cycles: take advantage of the same preheating to cook several dishes at the same time.
- Cut it short: turn the oven off a few minutes earlier; the residual heat will finish the cooking process.
- Avoid opening the door too often: each time it is opened, the oven loses heat and has to come back up to temperature.
- Unplug after use (if your model remains on standby): this is the easiest way to avoid energy leaks.
