Key Aspects About Gas Consumption: Difference between revisions

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Created page with "=Different consumers, different requirements= Consumers have requirements that rarely fit exactly to predictions and even to previous patterns, as there is always some variability due to activity, external or internal factors. This is why electricity consumption control is, most of the time, a best-effort attempt. No two business or home consumers are alike but there are some good practices that can be followed to determine what could be done to control consumption. =A..."
 
 
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=Different consumers, different requirements=
=Simplified approach=


Consumers have requirements that rarely fit exactly to predictions and even to previous patterns, as there is always some variability due to activity, external or internal factors. This is why electricity consumption control is, most of the time, a best-effort attempt. No two business or home consumers are alike but there are some good practices that can be followed to determine what could be done to control consumption.
Gas consuming devices are easy to assess since they have limited but important functions. The most frequently considered one is for cooking equipment while the second most common covers hot water heaters for consumption or space heating purposes, when part of a central heating system.


=Activity specificity=
The first class of devices, cooking equipment, is used with little seasonal variation while hot water heaters have higher consumption between autumn and spring and central heating systems are used only during this time.


It is essential to know and monitor how frequently large appliances are being used. Electric ovens, cooking machines, boilers, space heaters, have the highest energy consumption. They may be required to work at different temperatures and for different amounts of time. Keep in mind that a higher temperature and a long operation means a high consumption.
Consumers have requirements that rarely fit exactly to predictions and even to previous patterns, as there is always some variability due to activity, external or internal factors. This is why gas consumption control is, most of the time, a best-effort attempt. No two business or home consumers are alike but there are some good practices that can be followed to determine what could be done to control consumption.


For a business centered on selling food, the whole food production chain may have to be studied to determine what could be done quicker or with less heating. Sometimes, there may not be easy solutions that would not compromise quality, variation or appeal.
While in the case of electricity devices suggestions centered around finding more efficient equipment, for gas appliances the discussion is centered around switching to electrical ones due to better optimization prospects, lower maintenance, automation and better control, as explained below.


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=Activity specificity=


In the case of office activities, especially for mid-sized areas, computers, servers and auxiliary equipment have a very large impact on electricity consumption. Distance working and non-standard schedules requires all computers to be turned on, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and this creates a constant important electricity demand.  
It is essential to know and monitor how frequently large appliances are being used. Cooking machines have medium while and boilers for hot water or central heating have the highest energy consumption. They may be required to work at different temperatures and for different amounts of time. Keep in mind that a higher desired temperature and a long operation means a high consumption.


Making sure that employees willingly turn off their computers or there is a policy that is imposed by the administration may have a major effect. It has to be determined if employee flexibility is required or is an advantage.  
An important distinction from similar electricity powered devices is that, particularly in the case of cooking machines, they are turned on for extended periods of time, mostly for convenience and operation predictability when in the hot state. This leads to increased gas consumption.


At other times, this may simply not be an option as is the case for some support services or solution providers. Having a single computer that may service multiple users can also be a working solution in certain situations. It is more costly to maintain a multiple concurrent user access system, but it may be cheaper than to have separate systems.
For a business centered on selling food, the whole production chain may have to be studied to determine what could be done quicker or with less heating. Sometimes, there may not be easy solutions that would not compromise quality, variation or appeal.


In the case of workshops or other activities, there may be specific energy requirements that are highly dependent on client demand and have very few optimization possibility without resorting to replacing current equipment with more modern and energy efficient appliances. Such an approach may or may not be feasible.
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=Most common electricity consuming devices=
When gas appliances operation is considered, there are other aspects that affect a building. Since cooking devices are frequently open-flame designs or ones that have little insulation, they are generally contributing significantly to space heating on the area around them. This is an unavoidable aspect even when special fume extractors are being used as most heat simply radiates around the appliance.


==Computers, TVs, laptops, printers, multifunction devices==
Just as importantly, humidity is also massively increased in cooking areas, mainly due to cooking but also as a byproduct of gas burning that is frequently not taken into account. This means that using gas appliances generally influence much more the living or working environment than it may seem at first sight. Of course, since we have been operating such devices for decades, we are aware and understanding of them.


Using computers, printers and other data processing equipment is unavoidable in our modern life. However, most devices require a certain amount of electricity to work, although size and backside labels can give relevant consumption details.  
While it is true that there are some closed-flame appliances such as water heaters and central heating systems based on water heating devices, they are never a true closed-flame system. They require outside combustion air and have reduced efficiency due to its changing demands. These appliances still draw a very small amount of air from around them, since they do not have airtight combustion chambers.


Keep in mind that multiple devices that are powered on at roughly the same time may have a certain impact on electricity consumption. Laptops always consume less than desktops so for activities that are not particularly processing demanding, they may be better suited for daytime work.
In the end, the best approach is to limit consumption, on the one hand, and to slowly migrate to electricity powered devices on the other hand. These have much better prospects for improved efficiency in the near future as well as avoiding the need for additional air circulation and mitigations for release of carbon dioxide and water vapours.


{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
=Most common gas consuming devices=
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
| Desktop computer, medium use and load || 50-400 W || 100 W || 8 hours  || 24 kW/h
|-
| Laptop computer, medium use and load || 10-90 W  || 30 W || 8 hours  || 7.2 kW/h
|-
| 120cm LCD TV || 10-130 W  || 60 W || 8 hours  || 19 kW/h
|-
| Laser printer/copier multifunction device || 700-1500 W  || 1000 W || 0.5 hour ||  15 kW/h
|-
| Inkjet multifunction device || 10-40 W  || 25 W || 0.5 hour ||  0.3 kW/h
|-
|}
 
Printers and multifunction devices should be given special attention. While inkjet printers are usually low powered devices, with a power rating that is less than 50 Watts, some larger copiers, printers and multifunction devices, particularly laser ones, can have very large instantaneous power loads and this will be translated into high consumption for high volume activities.
 
However, high printing volume devices are rarely anything else but the laser type. Keep in mind that the ink-paper fusing process is the main consumption culprit. There are also other printers such as thermal transfer or 3D ones that also have quite an important contribution to electricity consumption.
 
TVs have been, for quite a long time, devices that do not consume much electricity, most being under the 100 Watts power range. However, when used all day long and in numbers, consumption figures add up and energy efficiency may make more modern or advanced devices particularly attractive.
 
==Washing machines, clothes driers==


Taking care of clothes is a necessity. Unfortunately, it is not only a time-consuming activity but it also has a large impact on electricity consumption. Considering a washing schedule can influence energy requirements.
==Gas cooking machines, stoves==


A single washing day can be more or less convenient depending on actual working and leisure activity conditions. Sometimes it may be necessary to have a washing activity two or three times a week or even daily, in case of a business in the hospitality industry.  
Gas cooking machines are highly popular. They traditionally had many advantages compared to any electrical appliance equivalent such as great temperature control and high heating capability. A variety of gas burner sizes, types and valves meant that hobby or professional cooking ended with very good results. Mastering a gas cooking machine's operation was a neccessity.
 
This aspect has to be considered carefully, keeping in mind that washing only certain clothing items, as they are used, require more energy and water than washing a bunch of clothes. In other cases, communal washing may not be the best choice for sanitary, privacy or scheduling reasons.


{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
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! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
|-
| Common washing machine || 1200-2000 W || 1500 W (only during water heating) || 1 hour || 11.25 kW/h
| Home gas cooker and oven || 7-10 kW || 3 kW (one burner) || 2 hours  || 180 kW/h
|-
|-
| Older washing machine || 1200-2000 W || 1800 W (only during water heating) || 1.3 hours || 17.55 kW/h
| Professional gas cooker || 28-36 kW  || 12 kW (2 burners) || 8 hours || 2,880 kW/h
|-
|-
|}
|}


While clothes driers and washing machines that have integrated driers are highly convenient, they do have an impact on energy consumption. While airing and drying clothes outside is preferable, colder or more humid environments make such an option frequently inconvenient.  
In the context of increased natural gas prices, cooking with gas becomes less attractive. Gas cooking devices are much more dangerous to use than electrical ones due to risks of flame cutoff, explosion in case of leaks. They also require massive amounts of air circulation to avoid affecting people standing near them due to gas burning byproducts.


Moreover, drying clothes outside can increase the chance of them attracting dust or being touched by birds, which raises other issues. More energy efficient clothes driers use heat pump systems that reduce energy load.
One important disadvantage of gas cooking appliances compared with modern similar electrical equipment is the amount of optimization, programming and automation. Electrical devices can have any convenience feature that controls temperature easily and precisely while gas ones are difficult to be made to same specifications.


The question of a clothes drier or a washing machine with combined drier depends on washing load requirements per week, convenience and available space. A separate clothes drier can free the washing machine for another batch of clothes.  
This means that I advise against purchasing new gas appliances even if they may be cheaper than equivalent electrical ones. Even if gas appliances are typically more powerful, the range of features, lack of gas burning constraints and future prospects of fuel price make electrical appliances a much better choice.


In situations were a clothes drier is too inconvenient, expensive or takes too much space, stand-alone dehumidifiers or air-conditioning systems can improve clothes drying performance indoors.
==Ovens==


==Irons, hair-driers==
While ovens can be considered along with cooking machines, the best approach seems to be to treat them distinctly. They are a class of devices that can range from compact to medium but they all share some important traits and limitations.


Ironing require quite extensive energy inputs and is a major contributor to consumption, particularly if done regularly. Traditional ironing systems are less efficient than vertical ones for small fabric straightening purposes.
An gas powered oven is, in most cases, the device that compromises the most on efficiency. The requirement of ensuring combustion air and burned gas byproducts exhaust wastes a lot of energy. Cold air has to constantly enter the oven and be heated to a certain temperature. All the effort of heating air is wasted when exhaust leaves the oven.
 
Ironing also releases water vapours as well as heat, increasing local humidity and creating an environment that is less pleasant to work in. Unfortunately, there are fabrics that need to be cared for with ironing.
 
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
| Standard Iron || 800-2100 W || 2100 W || 0.1 hours (6 minutes) || 6.3 kW/h
|-
| Vertical Iron || 1400-1600 W || 1600 W || 0.1 hours (6 minutes) || 4.8 kW/h
|-
|}
 
The best solution is to find fabrics and clothing products that trap the least amount of water and require the least amount of special care, such as ironing, to look right. Unfortunately, as there are no international standards and guidelines for efficiency in this area, a lot of personal experimentation has to be carried out.
 
Hair driers are a necessary hair care device that may have quite an impact on electricity consumption, particularly for businesses such as hairdressers or homes with a large number of occupants. For the moment, the best improvement potential is to have many heat settings (3 or more) on a hairdryer, adapting distance and heat as it fits.


{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
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! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
|-
| Travel (compact) hairdryer, short hair || 1100-1200 W || 600 W (low setting) || 0.25 hours (15 minutes) || 4.5 kW/h
| Old professional gas oven || 6-10 kW || 6 kW || 8 hours || 1,440 kW/h
|-
| Travel (compact) hairdryer, long hair || 1100-1200 W || 1600 W (low setting) || 0.45 hours (27 minutes) || 8.1 kW/h
|-
| Standard hairdryer, short hair || 2000-2200 W || 1000 W (low setting) || 0.15 hours (9 minutes) || 4.5 kW/h
|-
| Standard hairdryer, long hair || 2000-2200 W || 1000 W (low setting) || 0.25 hours (15 minutes) || 7.5 kW/h
|-
|-
|}
|}


Having efficient, focused, airflow that is very close to the hair yet not hot enough may help in using a more economical power rating. However, there are still cases where airflow and distance to the hair are more important for certain care activities. Longer hair requires considerably more drying time, typically twice or more as long as for short hair.
An airtight or controlled airflow system would be limited in an electrical appliance and inside air circulation could be more easily ensured to reach an optimal uniformity.


==Cafetieres, kettles, grills, other food preparation devices==
All the above limitations of gas appliances and the advantage of airflow optimization in electrical appliances means that a electrical ones have the double advantage of using much less energy and being more productive. This means that the traditional higher cost of electricity and the purchasing one of the appliance itself are more than covered by the efficiency improvement


Appliances that heat water or food can have quite an important contribution to overall consumption. In many cases, they are much more convenient to use and more efficient and than, for instance, simple teapots used on an electric cooking machine.  
For a business or home user there is also the additional advantage of having much reduced training and monitoring requirements when operating the appliance, which brings multiple benefits.


Purpose built devices can be optimized and this is certainly the case. However, just like any device, it stands to reason that they have to be determined as essential to be used in a certain manner.
==Gas stoves and grills==


In the case of an office, it all boils down to convenience and a pleasant working climate. If few employees use such devices on a constant basis, there is no major concern about consumption, although more efficient devices would help in limiting consumption.
Gas stoves have been popular for many decades, particularly in space constrained premises. The ability to have a high powered food preparation solution was appreciated. However, recent advances in technology, such as the induction plate, gave electrical appliances a major boost in efficiency and convenience. Since induction plates can vary well the power delivered to the pot, the end result is the same as on a gas stove.


However, if there is a strong demand for cafes or teas, there may need to be an assessment about how to better handle the situation.
It is true that there are still some cooking situations that may not be fully covered by induction plates, such as the ones requiring a particular vegetable frying technique that uses the wok pan. The shape of the wok pan is not flat, as the induction plate requires. To achieve similar results with a flat pan, the cooking technique would have to be changed.


{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
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! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
|-
| Common kettle || 2000-2200 W || 2000 W || 0.3 hour || 18 kW/h
| Common "kebab" professional grill || 9-12 kW || 6 kW (2 burners) || 8 hours || 1,440 kW/h
|-
| Common cafetiere || 500-800 W || 600 W || 2 hours (if left running) || 36 kW/h
|-
|-
| Common grill || 1000-2100 W || 1500 W || 0.5 hours || 27 kW/h
| Common chicken roasting grill || 5 kW || 2.5 kW  || 8 hours || 600 kW/h
|-
|-
| Common toaster || 600-1000 W || 800 W || 0.25 hours || 6 kW/h
|}  
|-
|}
 
For businesses that have food preparation activities, the issue is much more complex. Serving quickly clients is mandatory and appliances that can ensure this result are highly important.
 
Replacing or giving up on a specific appliance altogether is a decision that takes into account many aspects and has to be thoroughly analyzed. Space constraints and employee capabilities also play a part in this case.
 
Mixing, cutting and other specialized preparation appliances also have an important impact on consumption, particularly if they are frequently used, as in business activities, and more energy efficient or better performance ones can have major benefits.
 
It is important to keep in mind that specialized electrical devices are much more convenient to reconfigure and optimize than general ones such as a cooking machine, so workflow optimizations should be centered on how to better handle specific activity demands.
 
==Refrigerators and freezers==
 
Refrigeration covers not only the obvious purpose of storing food and food related products that can degrade but also water chilling systems. Environment temperatures have the largest influence on a refrigeration equipment consumption both during normal operation and particularly when drafts are formed as the appliance is open for loading or unloading.
 
Another important aspect pertains how frequent the device is being loaded or unloaded as well as accessibility of certain frequently used products. A highly loaded refrigerator or freezer can use more energy to cool products stored inside and requires more time to access certain items. A lower inside temperature preset also requires more power.
 
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
| Common 300 Liter refrigerator/freezer combo, 25 Celsius degree ambient || 100-300 W || 200 W || 6 hours (combined running time) || 36 kW/h
|-
| Common 300 Liter refrigerator/freezer combo, 30 Celsius degree ambient || 100-300 W || 200 W || 12 hours (combined running time) || 72 kW/h
|-
| Older 300 Liter refrigerator/freezer combo, 25 Celsius degree ambient || 200-400 W || 300 W || 6 hours (combined running time) || 54 kW/h
|-
|}


It is also important to note that high refrigeration volumes have to be managed carefully to avoid items that are forgotten, going past their intended consumption date. Water chillers and dispensers are convenient devices that have to be properly sized to be efficient but they are much more advantageous to use than refilling, storing and retrieving water from a standard refrigerator.
Electrical grills are more compact and easier to use than gas grills. Although they may not be as powerful and taste or end result of food preparation may not be at the same level as on a gas grill, the convenience of easy operation and predictable results may be worth to consider.


This means that refrigerator volume and positioning are highly important aspects that have to be considered along typical energy efficiency. Overall, chest freezer can have the largest efficiency for storage as well as energy use while shop or glass door refrigerators have the poorest one.
Large grills and particularly the ones created for outdoor operation are a special case. For the moment, there are no electrical appliance equivalents, as far as I can tell. The situation may change in the future.


==Space cooling, heating, ventilation equipment==
==Boilers and Water heaters==


Space heating and cooling may require considerable amounts of electricity. It may be helpful to establish specific temperature ranges at which appliances are turned on an off to maintain comfort. This will have a very large impact, particularly in summer. Permanent monitoring of temperature and humidity is essential to asess how to maintain it in an acceptable range.
There are two distinct classes of heaters, instant and accumulation types. Accumulation types are bulky and easily noticeable due to their large hot water tank. The instant ones are much more compact. The preference for one type or the other was based upon water flow requirements.


Water heating that depends on tap water also evolves thought a year. Since tap water is cooler in winter, boilers are requiring more electricity to heat the water to the same temperature than during summer. Also, in summer, hotter water may be less desirable to work with, so a lower temperature can be sufficient.
Instant water heaters can be very powerful and capable of covering various water flows. In many countries they were a traditional favourite amenity. In the last decades, these devices became relatively rare as combined central heating systems combined hot water and space heating requirements.


{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
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! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
|-
| Common 12000 BTU air conditioning unit || 1200-1500 W || 1200 W || 8 hours (combined running time)* || 288 kW/h
| Standard Instant Gas Boiler || 12-25 kW || 20 kW || 1.6 hours || 1,188 kW/h
|-
| Common large circulation fan || 40-200 W || 100 W || 8 hours || 24 kW/h
|-
|-
|}
|}
  Note: *the case scenario considers a 25 square meter indoor area, 35 Celsius degree exterior temperature, 25 Celsius degree interior temperature desired
All these situations have to be carefully studied. It is not as effective to just use the "eco" function for certain devices, since it will just provide a lower service, in this case water temperature and electricity consumption, that may not be satisfactory for most purposes.


Ventilation generally has the small impact on consumption as moving the air requires quite a low amount of electricity and fan systems are highly efficient. However, ventilation does pose certain challenges. A lack of airtightness in the building envelope may increase air ingress in spaces where odours and humidity should not reach.  
Generally, instant gas water heaters or boilers cannot be easily replaced with electrical equivalents as they require large currents that may not be possible to supply easily without an upgrade of the electrical system. Sometimes, even with an upgrade of the electrical system the electrical appliance may still not work since the branch current carrying capability from the utility provider may not be enough.


Just as well, forced ventilation may not be effective in a building envelope that is almost airtight as there is not enough airflow that can be maintained. This means that kitchens and bathrooms should be particularly airtight to other spaces while ventilated well enough without affecting other areas, a quite difficult balance.
If space can be accommodated to house an electrical accumulation boiler, the most widely used product, it would offer additional improvements in tighter temperature control, noise-free operation and very little maintenance over many years.


==Cleaning appliances==
==Central heating appliances==


Although space cleaning appliances are rarely considered a major factor in energy consumption and they may not be an obvious contributor, they should not be omitted. Vacuum cleaners have a certain electrical input that is indicated on labels.  
Central heating is the most complex system you may encounter. While more modern gas appliances still have higher power ratings than equivalent electrical ones, and are particularly more affordable than them, it is certain that future heating systems would have to transition from gas to electrical ones.


Better performing products are generally more expensive and durable than economy ones. It matters a lot when operating older devices, manufactured more than 7 years ago, as they can be performing well but require more electrical energy due to having a less efficient electrical motor.
While gas appliances have traditionally been much cheaper to operate than similar powered electrical ones, this has slowly changed. 30 years ago, gas may have been 10 times as cheap as electricity, and almost a decade ago it was around 4 times as cheap. In the last few years gas prices increased and an equivalent gas energy consumption is now around 2-3 times as cheap as electricity.


{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
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! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
|-
| Standard vacuum cleaner || 500-600 W || 600 W || 0.25 hours (15 minutes) || 4.5 kW/h
| Standard Central Heating Gas Unit || 20-30 kW || 25 kW || 6 hours (during winter) || 4,500 kW/h
|-
| Older vacuum cleaner || 1000-2000 W || 1200 W || 0.25 hours (15 minutes) || 9 kW/h
|-
|-
|}
|}


Pressure washers are much more effective for cleaning ceramic tiled floors, concrete and asphalt, being highly effective both on the indoors and outdoors activities. They can also save a lot of time and also a lot of money, reducing the need for expensive and toxic cleaning products. Pressure washers also reduce water use making more savings readily apparent.
It is important to note, in this case as well, that no gas heater is 100% efficient, its efficiency varies on flame temperature, combustion air, airflow, maintenance state. In practice, the efficiency reaches around 80% of the rating. Since electrical appliances can easily reach 90% and require less maintenance, it is obvious that gas ones are at an additional disadvantage.
 
==Lighting equipment==
 
Ensuring a properly lit indoor or outdoor used to require significant energy consumption. This may still be the case for very old installations but retrofits or modern systems are rarely high consumers.
 
A higher surface area that has to be covered and more intense light leads to higher electricity demand and energy consumption.


{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
A central heating system has much lower energy efficiency than it may be assumed just from the gas boiler itself since all the pipework, radiant heater positioning near walls and the overall system state and balance of flows come into play as losses. Note that air heaters also have their losses, first due to conversion efficiency, but mainly due to distance to actual delivery points and other aspects.
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Device !! Typical power rating !! Sample rating !!  Daily use !! Monthly consumption
|-
| Common LED lamp || 5-20 W || 15 W || 6 hours || 2.7 kW/h
|-
| Common LED lamps || 5-20 W || 1600 W || 10 hours  || 4.5 kW/h
|-
| Old fluorescent lamp || 18-40 W || 40 W || 10 hours  || 12 kW/h
|-
| Old outdoor lamp || 100-250 W || 100 W || 10 hours  || 30 kW/h
|-
|}


Lighting systems tend to not require high investments for modernization purposes but some specialized systems may still command a high price, so it is advisable to determine the current situation.


[[Category:Energy Conservation]]
[[Category:Energy Conservation]]

Latest revision as of 12:15, 8 July 2022

Simplified approach

Gas consuming devices are easy to assess since they have limited but important functions. The most frequently considered one is for cooking equipment while the second most common covers hot water heaters for consumption or space heating purposes, when part of a central heating system.

The first class of devices, cooking equipment, is used with little seasonal variation while hot water heaters have higher consumption between autumn and spring and central heating systems are used only during this time.

Consumers have requirements that rarely fit exactly to predictions and even to previous patterns, as there is always some variability due to activity, external or internal factors. This is why gas consumption control is, most of the time, a best-effort attempt. No two business or home consumers are alike but there are some good practices that can be followed to determine what could be done to control consumption.

While in the case of electricity devices suggestions centered around finding more efficient equipment, for gas appliances the discussion is centered around switching to electrical ones due to better optimization prospects, lower maintenance, automation and better control, as explained below.

Activity specificity

It is essential to know and monitor how frequently large appliances are being used. Cooking machines have medium while and boilers for hot water or central heating have the highest energy consumption. They may be required to work at different temperatures and for different amounts of time. Keep in mind that a higher desired temperature and a long operation means a high consumption.

An important distinction from similar electricity powered devices is that, particularly in the case of cooking machines, they are turned on for extended periods of time, mostly for convenience and operation predictability when in the hot state. This leads to increased gas consumption.

For a business centered on selling food, the whole production chain may have to be studied to determine what could be done quicker or with less heating. Sometimes, there may not be easy solutions that would not compromise quality, variation or appeal.

When gas appliances operation is considered, there are other aspects that affect a building. Since cooking devices are frequently open-flame designs or ones that have little insulation, they are generally contributing significantly to space heating on the area around them. This is an unavoidable aspect even when special fume extractors are being used as most heat simply radiates around the appliance.

Just as importantly, humidity is also massively increased in cooking areas, mainly due to cooking but also as a byproduct of gas burning that is frequently not taken into account. This means that using gas appliances generally influence much more the living or working environment than it may seem at first sight. Of course, since we have been operating such devices for decades, we are aware and understanding of them.

While it is true that there are some closed-flame appliances such as water heaters and central heating systems based on water heating devices, they are never a true closed-flame system. They require outside combustion air and have reduced efficiency due to its changing demands. These appliances still draw a very small amount of air from around them, since they do not have airtight combustion chambers.

In the end, the best approach is to limit consumption, on the one hand, and to slowly migrate to electricity powered devices on the other hand. These have much better prospects for improved efficiency in the near future as well as avoiding the need for additional air circulation and mitigations for release of carbon dioxide and water vapours.

Most common gas consuming devices

Gas cooking machines, stoves

Gas cooking machines are highly popular. They traditionally had many advantages compared to any electrical appliance equivalent such as great temperature control and high heating capability. A variety of gas burner sizes, types and valves meant that hobby or professional cooking ended with very good results. Mastering a gas cooking machine's operation was a neccessity.

Device Typical power rating Sample rating Daily use Monthly consumption
Home gas cooker and oven 7-10 kW 3 kW (one burner) 2 hours 180 kW/h
Professional gas cooker 28-36 kW 12 kW (2 burners) 8 hours 2,880 kW/h

In the context of increased natural gas prices, cooking with gas becomes less attractive. Gas cooking devices are much more dangerous to use than electrical ones due to risks of flame cutoff, explosion in case of leaks. They also require massive amounts of air circulation to avoid affecting people standing near them due to gas burning byproducts.

One important disadvantage of gas cooking appliances compared with modern similar electrical equipment is the amount of optimization, programming and automation. Electrical devices can have any convenience feature that controls temperature easily and precisely while gas ones are difficult to be made to same specifications.

This means that I advise against purchasing new gas appliances even if they may be cheaper than equivalent electrical ones. Even if gas appliances are typically more powerful, the range of features, lack of gas burning constraints and future prospects of fuel price make electrical appliances a much better choice.

Ovens

While ovens can be considered along with cooking machines, the best approach seems to be to treat them distinctly. They are a class of devices that can range from compact to medium but they all share some important traits and limitations.

An gas powered oven is, in most cases, the device that compromises the most on efficiency. The requirement of ensuring combustion air and burned gas byproducts exhaust wastes a lot of energy. Cold air has to constantly enter the oven and be heated to a certain temperature. All the effort of heating air is wasted when exhaust leaves the oven.

Device Typical power rating Sample rating Daily use Monthly consumption
Old professional gas oven 6-10 kW 6 kW 8 hours 1,440 kW/h

An airtight or controlled airflow system would be limited in an electrical appliance and inside air circulation could be more easily ensured to reach an optimal uniformity.

All the above limitations of gas appliances and the advantage of airflow optimization in electrical appliances means that a electrical ones have the double advantage of using much less energy and being more productive. This means that the traditional higher cost of electricity and the purchasing one of the appliance itself are more than covered by the efficiency improvement

For a business or home user there is also the additional advantage of having much reduced training and monitoring requirements when operating the appliance, which brings multiple benefits.

Gas stoves and grills

Gas stoves have been popular for many decades, particularly in space constrained premises. The ability to have a high powered food preparation solution was appreciated. However, recent advances in technology, such as the induction plate, gave electrical appliances a major boost in efficiency and convenience. Since induction plates can vary well the power delivered to the pot, the end result is the same as on a gas stove.

It is true that there are still some cooking situations that may not be fully covered by induction plates, such as the ones requiring a particular vegetable frying technique that uses the wok pan. The shape of the wok pan is not flat, as the induction plate requires. To achieve similar results with a flat pan, the cooking technique would have to be changed.

Device Typical power rating Sample rating Daily use Monthly consumption
Common "kebab" professional grill 9-12 kW 6 kW (2 burners) 8 hours 1,440 kW/h
Common chicken roasting grill 5 kW 2.5 kW 8 hours 600 kW/h

Electrical grills are more compact and easier to use than gas grills. Although they may not be as powerful and taste or end result of food preparation may not be at the same level as on a gas grill, the convenience of easy operation and predictable results may be worth to consider.

Large grills and particularly the ones created for outdoor operation are a special case. For the moment, there are no electrical appliance equivalents, as far as I can tell. The situation may change in the future.

Boilers and Water heaters

There are two distinct classes of heaters, instant and accumulation types. Accumulation types are bulky and easily noticeable due to their large hot water tank. The instant ones are much more compact. The preference for one type or the other was based upon water flow requirements.

Instant water heaters can be very powerful and capable of covering various water flows. In many countries they were a traditional favourite amenity. In the last decades, these devices became relatively rare as combined central heating systems combined hot water and space heating requirements.

Device Typical power rating Sample rating Daily use Monthly consumption
Standard Instant Gas Boiler 12-25 kW 20 kW 1.6 hours 1,188 kW/h

Generally, instant gas water heaters or boilers cannot be easily replaced with electrical equivalents as they require large currents that may not be possible to supply easily without an upgrade of the electrical system. Sometimes, even with an upgrade of the electrical system the electrical appliance may still not work since the branch current carrying capability from the utility provider may not be enough.

If space can be accommodated to house an electrical accumulation boiler, the most widely used product, it would offer additional improvements in tighter temperature control, noise-free operation and very little maintenance over many years.

Central heating appliances

Central heating is the most complex system you may encounter. While more modern gas appliances still have higher power ratings than equivalent electrical ones, and are particularly more affordable than them, it is certain that future heating systems would have to transition from gas to electrical ones.

While gas appliances have traditionally been much cheaper to operate than similar powered electrical ones, this has slowly changed. 30 years ago, gas may have been 10 times as cheap as electricity, and almost a decade ago it was around 4 times as cheap. In the last few years gas prices increased and an equivalent gas energy consumption is now around 2-3 times as cheap as electricity.

Device Typical power rating Sample rating Daily use Monthly consumption
Standard Central Heating Gas Unit 20-30 kW 25 kW 6 hours (during winter) 4,500 kW/h

It is important to note, in this case as well, that no gas heater is 100% efficient, its efficiency varies on flame temperature, combustion air, airflow, maintenance state. In practice, the efficiency reaches around 80% of the rating. Since electrical appliances can easily reach 90% and require less maintenance, it is obvious that gas ones are at an additional disadvantage.

A central heating system has much lower energy efficiency than it may be assumed just from the gas boiler itself since all the pipework, radiant heater positioning near walls and the overall system state and balance of flows come into play as losses. Note that air heaters also have their losses, first due to conversion efficiency, but mainly due to distance to actual delivery points and other aspects.

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