Often, when choosing a stove for their own kitchen, many housewives wonder what the real power of an induction stove is? Induction cookers have become quite popular in recent years due to their efficiency and ease of use. Thanks to special technologies, such a stove consumes much less energy.
Induction cooker device
Thanks to a fundamentally new method of heating food, the induction cooker has gained great popularity in the household appliances market. With the help of a magnetic field generated by high-frequency copper coils, so-called “induction currents” appear on the surface of the cookware, which carry out the heating process.
The hob consists of the following elements:
- frame;
- temperature sensor;
- control Panel;
- power part.
Since such a hob acts purposefully, all surrounding objects on the surface, including the burner itself, remain cold. This can be a deciding factor for families with young children who love to explore the world around them with tactile touch.
An induction cooker requires special cookware with increased magnetic permeability and a fixed resistivity value. As a rule, cookware made from ferrimagnetic materials meets all requirements.
Induction hob power in kW
The principle of operation of the hob is the use of high frequency induction current. The currents are created by special copper coils that heat the dishes with a magnetic field. The built-in electronic unit fully controls the cooking processes, independently turning the device on or off.
The peculiarity of cooking devices is their targeted impact on the dishes, and not on the environment. When the device is operating, the burners remain absolutely cold, only the dishes heat up.
Important! For induction furnaces, you need to take special dishes that have good magnetic permeability. Such materials are ferromagnetic alloys.
Power is the most important indicator for a hob. The speed of cooking depends on it.
But the higher the power, the greater the power consumption of the device. Therefore, it is better to find the best option.
Standard induction cookers have a total power of 1 to 9 kW. For apartments, it is better to choose slabs with a minimum level, since installing such a device does not require installing separate electrical wiring or issuing permits. In private cottages it is possible to install a stronger slab.
Panel power for 4 burners
The hob is electric, the power in kW of which can be different, has different circuit diameters and their number. Standard four-circuit models have:
- Large burner with a level of up to 3 kW;
- Two medium ones up to 1.5 kW;
- Small up to 1 kW.
Mechanism of operation
The operation of an induction hob is based on the operation of high-frequency coils (about 30-60 kHz), which create a magnetic field in the space surrounding them, thereby heating the contents of the cookware.
Important! With this method of operation, the equipment reduces energy and time consumption to a minimum, since it does not waste time heating the surface itself.
The control panel controls the work process. It recognizes the presence of dishes on the surface of the stove and regulates the power of the induction field.
Induction surface power
It is quite logical that the energy consumption of an induction hob is directly related to the number and power of installed burners. Modern models are equipped with burners of different sizes and configurations to ensure ease of cooking. They can be used separately or together.
Advice! The solution with adaptive burners is considered the most profitable in terms of energy consumption. Such a stove itself determines the size of the installed cookware and adjusts the heating area to it.
Small heating elements have low power, less than 1 kW. These burners are used for stewing and other slow cooking methods. Average “pancake” stoves have a power of 1.5-2.5 kW. These are the most popular burners; most first and second courses can be cooked on them. Large and powerful burners, which not every induction oven is equipped with, are designed to work with pots and pans of large volume and diameter. The power of such elements is about 3 kW.
Electricity consumption of electric stove burners
Depending on the size, the cooking mode and energy consumption differ:
- small – power does not exceed 1 kW, which is suitable for slow cooking;
- medium – power reaches 2 kW, which allows you to prepare soups and other dishes;
- powerful - power reaches 3 kW, intended for large containers.
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How to calculate monthly energy consumption
In practice, when calculating the monthly electricity consumption of a house or apartment, it is very difficult to determine what share is due to the induction cooker. On average, it is estimated that the energy consumption is 1.3 kW per hour for a standard stove with a total power of 3.5 kW. If we take into account that the stove is used approximately 2 hours a day, then the daily consumption will be 2.6 kW. This figure will be 78 kW per month. In more powerful models, this figure can double.
Of course, such calculations are very average, since in reality the burners have different sizes. Thus, a burner with a rated power of 1 kW will consume 2 kW in two hours at maximum heat. If the heating intensity is less, the energy consumption will correspondingly decrease.
How to choose an economical stove
Based on the information above, when choosing an induction cooker, you should start from the required number of burners. In this case, there is no need to take the stove “in reserve”. On average, you should focus on the following numbers.
- A standard family of 3-4 people will need a 4-burner surface. But a more reasonable solution would be a 3-burner panel, where one heating element will be adaptive, and the other two will differ in power and size.
- For a couple without children or one person living alone, it is quite possible to get by with a surface for 2 burners. It is better if they are of different sizes.
The second important point when choosing energy-saving tiles is their functionality. It is worth remembering that each option used in the device increases energy consumption . Therefore, before purchasing, you should consider whether you need a touch screen, PowerBoost express heating and other additional functions.
When choosing, you should give preference to proven, renowned manufacturers. As a rule, such companies use energy-saving modes in their developments. In addition, the protection against electric shock and the quality of the materials used in such tiles will be much higher than that of cheap “no-name” brands.
Differences between induction and electric cooker
Let's figure out how different the equipment is. The main difference between the devices is the principle of their operation. The electric stove first heats up, after which the dishes and food are heated. An induction cooker only heats the cookware, but remains cold.
An induction cooker only heats the cookware, but remains cold.
For an electric device, the type of cookware does not matter, but for an induction panel you will have to use special kitchen utensils. In this case, the second option is safer, since the surface remains completely cold. Also, the induction cooker heats up exactly as much as necessary so as not to overuse energy. This is a more economical solution with many advantages.
For an electric device, the type of cookware does not matter, but for an induction panel you will have to use special kitchen utensils.
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Other selection factors
To make the right choice, you need to focus not only on the electricity consumption of a particular stove. All factors must be taken into account.
- The number of heating zones, which depends on the number of people living, the size of the kitchen space, and the frequency of cooking.
- The size of the burners and their shape, which can be not only round, but oval and even diamond-shaped. Here you need to build on the utensils you use.
- Device type – dependent or independent. The first option can only be installed together with the oven, the second is intended for independent installation.
- The presence of a edging that will prevent the destruction of the ceramic surface.
Based on these parameters, you can easily select a stove for any conditions of use.
Important! It is worth remembering the maximum possible load on the home electrical network and choosing a device based on the available power lines. The average outlet is designed to connect a device with a power of up to 3.5 kW. To connect more powerful stoves, power sockets are used.
Energy Saving Tips
Purchasing an induction cooker for an apartment without gasification can be a very profitable solution when compared with an electric stove of the classical operating principle. An induction cooker has a faster heating speed than a conventional electric cooker. Accordingly, the time of use of the device is reduced, as is the energy consumption.
Comparison of different types of slabs
The second point is the presence of an automatic shutdown function. It works as soon as the dishes are removed from the surface of the tile. This not only prevents the possibility of fire, but also helps save electricity. The size of the cooking burner should be selected as close as possible to the size of the cookware being used. In addition, most induction surfaces allow you to control the heating intensity quite precisely. In most cases, the burner does not need maximum power. You can set it to half and cover the dish with a lid.
Ways to save costs
Despite the high energy consumption of this equipment, the consumer has several ways to save costs:
- cook dishes in dishes with a flat bottom, increasing the area of contact with the burner;
- use pots and other containers that do not extend beyond the burners;
- to prepare dishes that require a long time, use a pressure cooker;
- cover the pans with a lid, which reduces the boiling time of the liquid;
- turn off the stove shortly before the end of cooking in order to use the heating of the burner without power supply;
- replace the heating element model with a more modern one. Halogen ones consume up to 20 percent less, due to increased efficiency and reduced time for heating dishes. You can save 40 percent when using an induction model, but in this case you will need special cookware made of a ferromagnetic steel alloy.
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As you can see, an electric stove is not the most economical consumer of energy resources. But the user can reduce consumption using the specified equipment.
