Since last July the barrier of 100 euros per megawatt hour was exceeded, the light price It has not stopped climbing, beating its own records in a summer that has hardly given us any respite. The reasons why we pay for the most expensive electricity in history are complex and there is little we can do as users, but it does lead us to wonder if the use of household appliances such as the oven affect more or less to the dreaded electricity bill.
According to data from the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), an average Spanish household consumes about 4,000 kWh per year of electricity, concentrating more than 61% on the use of household appliances. Obviously, each family and its routines is different, but there are common appliances whose consumption we can little control, such as the refrigerator, which must work 24 hours a day. Others, like the dishwasher or the oven, can adapt to different habits.
The pandemic made it clear that in Spain we like to bake and we are very roast, gratin, sweet and dough, without forgetting the precooked foods that are prepared simply by putting them in the oven. We may not have turned it on much in the heat of the heat wave, but with milder temperatures it is again the reference kitchen appliance for many of us. Does abusing the oven mean leaving a kidney on the electricity bill? Fortunately, not as much as we might think.
How much does an oven consume and how it affects the bill
It is difficult to establish specific data on the exact consumption of these devices, as it will depend on the type of model, its age, form and frequency of use, the temperature used, hours, etc.
If we want to get an idea of how much it will cost to bake a sponge cake or roast a chicken, we can do the particular calculation depending on your energy label, which is usually in the instruction manual or similar material. In case of loss, you can consult the manufacturer directly or look for the model in the catalog of any retailer that distributes it.
Normally a current oven includes two data of average consumption: with heat above and below, and with air / fan. More advanced furnaces can add other additional figures. With those numbers, we only have multiply it by the price of the current kWh of the time slot in which we want to use it. It will be cheaper if we bake during off-peak or off-peak hours.
To get an approximate idea, the manufacturer Balay provides us with approximate calculations of the cost of baking in a current mid-range oven with average electricity prices in the month of August. For example:
- Hot air cake: € 0.19 in rush hour, € 0.094 in flat section and € 0.055 in off-peak hours.
- Roasted whole chicken with grill and air: € 0.40 in peak hours, € 0.20 in flat hours and just € 0.12 in off-peak hours.
- Homemade pizza: € 0.19 in peak hours, € 0.095 in flat hours and € 0.055 in off-peak hours.
- Frozen pizza: € 0.16 in peak hours, € 0.082 in flat hours and € 0.048 in off-peak hours.
For their part, the bakery specialists at El Amasadero calculated some time ago the approximate costs of bake bread at home. Although the rates have increased compared to the data at that time, the estimated prices of € 0.25-0.37 to bake a bread at maximum temperature for an hour and a quarter, they would not exceed 50 cents, At first.
If the oven is ancient it is likely to have lower energy efficiency, which will have an impact on spending. It is also necessary to take into account the possible preheating -faster in the most modern ovens- or the loss of heat through the door -again, the best ovens are more hermetic- as well as the number of times the door is opened.
Remember that the oven will consume more energy depending on the weather operating, the temperature and of the added functions -grill, air, pyrolysis-, as well as of the precision of the thermostat or the loss of heat.
How to save on the bill by using the oven efficiently
Some of the basic tips To take into account to make the most of our oven without having too much impact on the electricity bill are very obvious, but it is not a bad thing to remember them.
- Renew the oven if it is very old, and bet on the maximum energy efficiency (green label and A +++ symbol, until further changes).
- Consider ovens that offer “eco” functions or low consumption.
- Choose a double glass model or reinforced door to decrease heat loss.
- Control the temperature of the thermostat using a oven thermometer.
- Preheat only when the recipe calls for it, and only for the time strictly necessary to reach the right temperature.
- Open the oven minimum possible during operation.
- Take advantage to cook several things at the same time (chicken or fish and its garnish, cake and biscuits, etc).
- Turn off the oven for the last few minutes of cooking, without opening it, to finish cooking with the residual heat.
- Baking chopped or cut foods smaller pieces to shorten the cooking time required.
- Precook certain foods with other faster and cheaper methods, such as blanching vegetables in the microwave or branding grilled meat.
- Using platters, molds, and pans metallic, better if they are made of cast iron, to better retain and transmit the temperature to the food.
- Bake during low or low hours, or take advantage of the weekend to prepare multiple dishes at once that can be done in advance.
Photos | Unsplash
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