Buying an Oven

by Murray Anderson

Rising energy prices or changing styles making you wonder whether you should be buying a new range or oven? If you’re one of the almost two thirds of American who cook with electric ranges and ovens you may be able to save money (and help the environment) by getting rid of that old oven and upgrading to a new one. However, while there’s no doubt new models use less electricity than ovens even just ten years old (it’s estimated about 14% less on average), unfortunately there are no Energy Star standards in the United States for ovens, ranges or even microwaves. So, how should you choose an oven that’s the most inexpensive to operate and best for you and the environment. Here’s some thoughts on choosing a new oven.

Consider a gas stove

• If you already have a gas line for heating or hot water running into your home, it may be relatively inexpensive to have a branch line installed to serve your range or oven as well.
  
• Depending on the price of gas in your area, you may be able to make significant savings in your cooking costs (and obviously save lots on electricity) by choosing a gas model
  
• Keep in mind that a new appliance has two effective prices – the first price is the price to buy and install it and the second price is the actual cost of operation. It’s estimated a gas stove costs less than ½ as much to operate as an electric stove (as long as it’s equipped with an electronic pilot light). Over time these savings cold more than offset the upfront cost of installing the new gas line.
  
• Even with a gas stove, you won’t be able to go totally electricity free, (gas stove require at least a 120 Volt outlet and some actually need 240 V), but your savings will still be considerable.

Sticking with electricity, here’s some other features that can help save you energy (and money).

• Convection oven - Inside a convection oven is a small fan that circulates the hot air inside while you’re cooking. This not only means food cooks more evenly, it also cooks faster saving you time, money and energy.
  
• Self-cleaning ovens are good for more than saving you the work of cleaning the oven yourself. They will also save energy, since they’re better insulated than regular ovens. It’s estimated a self-cleaning is up to 25% more energy efficient than a conventional oven.
  
• Windows in the oven door allow you to check on cooking food without opening the door. Not opening the door can provide a substantial energy saving, since, it’s estimated opening an oven door to check on food loses up to 20% of the heat in an oven.

Once you’ve decided on your new oven here’s some tips to save energy when using it.

• Use the self-cleaning feature immediately after you’ve finished cooking. Doing this takes advantage of the heat already in the oven, so less electricity is required to the oven to the self-cleaning temperature.
  
• Check that the seal around your oven door is tight. Open the door and insert a dollar bill in the gap then close the door. If the bill is held tightly, the seal is fine. If the seal is loose and the bill falls you need to adjust your oven door or replace the old seal with a new one.
  
• Sometimes cooks preheat out of habit and not necessity and preheating uses extra energy. Check your recipes and se if preheating is always necessary.
  
• Finally, consider using a toaster oven or a microwave for small items. Either uses much less energy than a full sized oven.

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer over 500 articles published on the web as well as in print magazines and newspapers in both the United States and Canada. He writes on a wide range of topics and is a regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He can be contacted at murand@lycos.com.