Cooking and preparing hot meals for the family is an essential task for most parents. Unlike olden times, cooking is becoming more and more convenient. The various devices and appliances we can use make it comfortable and more efficient. One of the basic kitchen appliances every home has is the stove. If you are using an electric one, you might be curious about how many watts does an electric stove use?
Being mindful of your energy consumption can help you save on expenses without minimizing your cooking time. This article will definitely answer some of your queries if you want to know more about your electric stove and overall wattage consumption.
Electric Stove Wattage Use
We determine the exact wattage use since it varies on how often, how long, and how much heat you use when cooking. But generally, if you turn on all of the burners, the answer to how many watts does an electric stove use is between 3000 watts to 4800 watts. Most electric stoves have four burners, and often, you don’t really use them simultaneously. If you only have a smaller unit, how many watts does an electric stove use is just around 1000 watts. Additionally, a modern stovetop generates an average of 1500 watts per hour of use.
Other Considerations
To answer the question of how many watts does an electric stove use, here are some aspects you need to consider first:
- Electric Stove Size
Your wattage use depends on the size of your burners. Generally, the bigger the burners, the more wattage it consumes. As mentioned above, small burners typically consume about 1000 watts. Medium burners, on the other hand, use up about 1500 to 1800 watts. If you have large burners, usage would require 2000 watts or more. - Electric Consumption
If you want to conserve power, the best thing to do is to use a pan of the same size as your burner. Also, using lids can help you cut cooking time. Surveys suggest that energy gets wasted when you use bigger pots and pans. Not using the lid, on the other hand, requires more wattage to cook food.
How to Choose the Right Electric Stove
Knowing how many watts does an electric stove use allows you to ponder on your energy use. Some people might opt for a gas stove instead, to save on electric bills. However, if you want to convenience of an electric stove, here are some guidelines on how to choose the most energy-efficient stove for you:
- Check the wattage of each burner. The higher the wattage, the more energy consumed. However, if you choose a lower wattage, it can also heat less than the higher ones.
- If you choose an electric stove with an oven, choose a convection oven. Although a bit more expensive, they can help you save on your electric bill since a convection oven allows faster cooking time at a lower temperature.
- The induction stove is your best option if you want to conserve on power use. An induction stove uses electromagnetic energy to heat and cook food. Thus, it requires much less electric energy. Also, it is a safer option since it does not burn at all.
- Some homes do not have gas hookups, which is the main reason why they use an electric stove. However, if it is possible, switching to a gas stove can greatly decrease electric consumption.
How to Conserve Energy While Cooking
If buying an energy-efficient stove isn’t an option, here are some ways on how you can minimize energy use while cooking:
- Plan your meals so that you can cook more dishes less often. Cooking all at once, rather than multiple times a day, can greatly minimize wattage use. You can then use a microwave to heat food when it’s already time to eat. Using your microwave for five minutes rather than cooking for an entire 30 minutes can reduce your energy consumption.
- Regular maintenance is the key. Make sure to always allot cleaning time after using your appliance. Accumulated gunk can affect the overall heating efficiency of your electric stove.
- Opt for ceramic and glass pans. Compared to metal ones, ceramic and glass conduct heat faster. So you can cut cooking time by a few minutes.
- When heating water, opt for an electric kettle rather than using your stove. Although both appliances use energy, a kettle is designed to heat water much faster, allowing you to reduce wattage consumption.
Conclusion
More and more appliances and devices are invented every day to make our lives easier and more comfortable. However, they also mean more wattage, more energy, and more money to spend on bills. Your stove, for instance, is a household essential that lets you enjoy hot and delicious meals. However, it is important to know how many watts does an electric stove use to avoid unnecessary energy consumption. Additionally, you also become more mindful of how you use your different home conveniences. Find out more about power usage.