Type: Gas or Electric?

People opt for gas ranges since they have better control over the amount of heat and speed of cooking. They also cost less than half as much to operate as an electric one, especially since all new models are required to have an electronic ignition instead of a pilot light.

However, gas stoves also produce harmful combustion by-products like nitrogen oxide, which can irritate the lungs and is especially harmful for persons diagnosed with asthma.

Selecting a gas or electric cooking option often depends on cooking preference and availability of electric or gas hook-up options. Indoor air quality factors may also be an important factor for households with respiratory concerns.

Ovens.

Below are two common oven types available on the market:

• Conventional Ovens. With conventional ovens, self-cleaning options are more energy efficient because they are better insulated than regular models. However, the self-cleaning features require large amounts of energy so using this more than once a month will cost you more energy than the energy saved from the insulation feature.
• Convection Ovens. Convection ovens continually circulate heated air around the food being cooked. This distributes heat more evenly than ordinary ovens, so cooking time and cooking temperatures can be reduced. You can reduce energy usage by 20 to 30 percent.
  

Cost of Cooking.

We have edited the following table from the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings to use actual Urban Edge costs for electricity and gas. It compares the cost of cooking a casserole in several ways. It assumes the cost of gas is $1.00 a therm, and electricity is $.06/ kWh.