Sounds like they cook a lot. I would expect $50/month increase if adding an electrically heated hot tub, but not an induction cooktop. They are very efficient with the energy they use going all to heating the pan.

(I'm in CA too.)

She must be cooking all day everyday! Some municipalities have ridiculously high electric rates, so that could also be the contributing factor. National grid in upstate NY comes to mind.

Cooking uses maybe 3% of a home’s energy use. And that’s counting all cooking appliances. The ONLY way that someone had that large of an increase would be if a high CFM fan were installed and it required heated MUA in a cold climate. And then she left it on 8 hours s day.

There is a useful calculator at https://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cooking.html

I punched in some rather aggressive numbers and didn't really get much higher than $100/year. In all the scenarios that I tested, that was still higher than what you'd pay for gas. But the total amounts were really very low overall.

Realistically, you are more likely to see a $5/month increase rather than a $50/month increase. Tell the other person that the latter is bound to be from some other change that happened at the same time.

A traditional electric stove is more expensive to operate though. So, yes, there is a significant advantage to getting an induction stove. And if you are really cost-sensitive, you should get a gas oven. They are noticeably cheaper to operate, and you can't really use induction for that particular application.

But even then, the numbers that we are talking about are quite low. You'd have to bake a lot to start noticing the difference.

I did a calculation looking up some high end induction cooktop specs.

A Wolf 36" induction cooktop requires 240 V, 50 amp circuit. That equates to maximum of 12kW power in maximum use. Let's say average it uses 8kW while cooking. Assuming $50/month at ~$0.15/kWh would be 333 kWh total electric usage in the month. The person would need to be cooking about 42 hours per month (333kWh/8kW).

Let's say average it uses 8kW while cooking.

That sounds unreasonably high. Nobody is operating all burners at the same time and all the time. And even if all burners are turned on, they don't operate at maximum heat for more than just a few minutes. I think, it'll be much more than just 42h.

So, no, not going to happen. Those $50 are from something else.

^ Agree. I think it said one of the burners goes to 3 kW. My 8kW assumption is very high and that's still a lot of cooking.

mmilos

That is only roughly and hour and a half each day. Assuming they have that rate or higher and they cook three meals a day everyday I guess it's possible? Even you point out though that is using the maximum power which no one does continuously. Maybe they cook for the homeless or something? I find $50.00 a month to cook a stretch. As M pointed out most likely there is some thing else going on in the home that occurred around the same time as the induction unit was installed.

Thank you to all of you; you've eased my mind. My kids are gone and when I cook, there are always leftovers for the next day, plus we go out at least twice a week, so I don't cook every day. All chicken, beef, and most fish are done outside on the grill, rarely on the stove.
I'm not going to worry about what likely will be a small increase in cost.

Last worry is about how easily an induction cooktop may scratch . . .

Well, during the aftermath of the 1990 earthquake, our electricity went out for a week. If we didnt have a gas stove, we would not have been able to cook. (Consider- California summer & rolling blackouts- good times!)

We installed solar last fall and as a result we now have an app that shows us in real time our usage plus we have graphs showing 7X24 peaks and valleys of consumption/production. I can certainly tell when I turn on my ovens (CSO or wall), Dryer, AC/TVs etc. When I use the induction - the spikes I see is when I use boost or higher power which is usually only a few minutes which you would expect. If you have an electric oven - it will have more of an impact on your bill than the induction.

I understand that in some places in CA, peak usage is over $0.35/kWh.

They are noticeably cheaper to operate, and you can't really use induction for that particular application.

Of course then, you'll have to pay for gas.

Last worry is about how easily an induction cooktop may scratch . . .

Unless you put rocks and sand on the cooktop and then slide an iron skillet across it, I don't think you need to worry.

Well, during the aftermath of the 1990 earthquake, our electricity went out for a week. If we didnt have a gas stove, we would not have been able to cook. (Consider- California summer & rolling blackouts- good times!)

The Op said she has an outside grill. Problem solved if that happens.

The cook top glass is pretty tough. I would not worry about it unless you make a habit of dragging pans across the surface. Sugar or salt on the surface will need to be cleaned up immediately and make certain you do not drag pans across these minerals. They can/will cause permanent damage to the cooking surface. One of the pro's of induction is that you can put things such as newspaper, parchment paper and silicone mats between the cooking surface and the pan. This helps protect the surface of the cook top area. I don't recommend the paper products when using high power for extended periods. The great thing is that because the cook top does not generate heat food don't get baked on like an electric resistance or halogen range.

I replaced gas cooktop with induction and have not seen a change in my electric bill. I cook everyday and do a lot of stewing, simmering, etc so my induction is often on all day. I have to say that induction is amazing. Temperature is precise, cooks super fast, simmers beautifully, super easy to clean, and safer than gas cooktop if you have little kids. I have not had any issues with scratches.

^ What brand cooktop did you get, St561 W?

wolf 30 inch

The other benefit of induction is that the energy you use goes directly to the pan, not the air. I think about 40 percent of heat gets wasted in many gas cooktops. I feel that I am much cooler in the kitchen with the induction.
Temperature control is awesome and immediate with my Bosch. I like it better than gas, and so easy to clean, as well.

I just had an electrician here and it is going to cost approximately $1200.00 to run the electrical. Another thing to consider : )

Regarding running electrical -- do you have to run another line and extend your box? $1200 seems a bit high to just add a line.

Yes, I do have to run another line and add a box by the cook top. I have only had this one estimate, so really don't know if it is high or low. I don't know how anyone is able to make a decision!! I'm having a hard time.

That is a great idea minisplit heat. Thanks for the info.

I did notice that he was advertising his business, however, I thought the info on the power strips was helpful.

Thank you!

When I lived in So Cal, our water bill was NOT based on actual usage, but rather an average use of a family of four, despite the fact that we were only a couple.living in a five bedroom home. The local water company representative admitted that they increased most people's rates to offset the low-income customers who receive discounted rates., despite their usage amounts.

I wonder if this practice has extended to the Gas company... OR. Is the Gas Company increasing rates to offset their fire liability lawsuits. One would reason that less gas usage would guarantee a lower gas bill.