# Should I get rid of my gas range/ oven?



## farmergirl (Aug 2, 2005)

It's hot in Texas in the summer, and my hubby has noticed that baking in the large electric toaster oven actually works! Also, propane is very expensive here. I'm planning to eventually convert to solar powered everything, but that's gonna be awhile due to costs of converting. The only appliances burning propane in our house are the cookstove and the water heater. I'm going to build an outdoor sun shower to minimize our use of the water heater in the summer months and I'm thinking of pulling the cookstove and replacing it with an electric one, or replacing it with just a range and no oven, since the large toaster oven is big enough to roast a chicken and we also have the crock pot. What do y'all think?


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

"Solar powered everything"...perhaps.... but that will NOT include powering an electric stove..................................

To power that monster will cost you perhaps $30,000 more in PV pannels and bigger batterys\ inverters.

People who are converting to a solar electric system from an "all electric" are advised to go with gas stoves. Its FAR cheaper than otherwise.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

How much is electricity? I'd love a gas stove, my neighbors have one and not only does it cook better it's brough thier electric bill down substantially. Water will be heated with oil here, and either preheated with our wood furnace or directly heated with wood. But I'm not in Texas where there's serious sun!


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## bare (May 10, 2002)

I don't know of anything less expensive than gas, either natural or propane for cooking. Have you considered how you are going to do any canning on a toaster oven?

If your gas range is electric/gas, I'd certainly be getting rid of it in favor of one with standing pilots on both the oven and burners. If you don't need the convenience of turning a knob on to light either one, you can turn off the pilots and just use matches or a lighter to get things going, thus saving a bit on gas.

Sheesh, even though I cook and bake a lot and have three pilots going constantly, 10 gallons lasts me several months. Pretty darn cheap!


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## susieM (Apr 23, 2006)

Save it in case of a pandemic, when the electricity is likely to be down.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

We are on solar power and our range is propane with a direct spark ignition. Don't go to electric if you want to go solar.


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## patnewmex (Aug 11, 2006)

Stay with the gas range. It gives you better baking results. It's cheaper. Also look into tankless hot watear heaters. We have one and don't know how we did without. 

pat


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## offGridNorthern (Jan 1, 2006)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> We are on solar power and our range is propane with a direct spark ignition. Don't go to electric if you want to go solar.


We are also off the grid, using solar and wind. I have a gas stove & oven. There is no way that you could run an electric oven off the grid. My igntier like LisaInN.Idaho is electric, but I can light it with a match as well.

I do however, use electric appliances whenever possible, because for me, electricity is free but I have to pay for propane. So I have a slow cooker, a toaster oven, an electric frypan, etc. But..... for Xmas dinners, etc. the oven and stove are very useful.

Keep the propane oven/stove and plan on using lots of small electrical appliances on the day-to-day


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## midkiffsjoy (Sep 29, 2005)

Also remember that even though it's hot down here in Texas, we DO have winters!!! grin. People die down here from phumonea (sp) just like up north (sorry to sound like its whining to all you guys who have below 0 temps, but 20 degrees for several months is too darn cold for me and the kids) It's a HECK of a lot cheaper to heat without using electricity, and besides.....wicked grin.....if you are already plumbed for gas than you might go Indian on us and build a methain digester, and make youre own "natural" gas. Just a thought.


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

Probably the best way to save energy would be with a solar water heater. It would cut your water heating expense year around. Here in Wisconsin, you can figure that solar water heating system would pay for itself in 5 years or so. Should be quicker in Texas. We have solar and wind electric, but heat water with propane and cook with it too, but we use our toaster oven and electric frying pan a lot, since they use surprising little power, as measured with our "Kill-a-watt" meter.


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## Ramblin Wreck (Jun 10, 2005)

I think gas (either propane or natural) is still the most efficient way to do much of the cooking, but I want to do what my parents did (and what many in the South historically did) and have a Summer kitchen outside the main house. I plan/hope to find a good used wood cookstove and use it for Summer canning and baking and hopefully minimize greatly the use of the main kitchen stove in the hotter Summer months. Another way to cut back on hot water costs is simply to cut the thermostat down a few degrees and wash clothing only in cold water. It saves a lot. Good luck in your search for what will work best for you.


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

Before you get rid of that stove do this: 
Dont use it all summer, check out your electric bill. I have been out of propane all summer, with no funds to get any, and my electric bill has been $300 a month (I know I could have gotten propane cheaper!)
The toaster oven, bread machine, hot plate and crock pot STILL add heat to the house.

I actually have plans for an outdoor kitchen myself, and believe me - when it is done I wont be cooking inside in the summer months! But I wont get rid of my gas stove either.. It does cook superior to electric, I miss it terrible!! **whine**

PS,, we dont run heat in the winter, I just bake bread in the oven, heats us up just fine for the day.... 
Mama J in Northeast Texas


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

seems all of you off gridders have much more power than we do. i would not think of using electric for anything with a heating element. I have solar and wind but my power is FAR from free and our propane runs about 60.00 per month for hot water, frige, stove, freezer and i am keeping it just like that till propane is no longer avail and i have to cook over a camp fire!


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## Tiffin (Feb 23, 2006)

Talking about summer kitchens: DH and I put one in our basement. Propane gas stove, cabinets were given to us and we made a concrete countertop. Put in a deep utility sink. It's great for canning, brewing beer, all day spaghetti sauce. The outdoor kitchen sounds nice too but I would want it enclosed with screening; bugs.


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## NatureGal (Sep 20, 2006)

Thanks for this - I have been looking at all the lovely outdoor 'rooms' and 'kitchens' in the magazines and that's what I want to do when I grow up!!  But honestly, I have a real wood cookstove that I wanted to install in my kitchen but with todays laws and insurance regulations, the stove would almost have to sit in the middle of the room (that's because it's not an approved stove!). So why the heck wouldn't I consider putting the old wood cookstove in the new and improved outdoor 'kitchen'????? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I just put an ad in the paper to sell it for $400 CDN but I think I'll just keep it for myself.

NatureGal in Renfrew, Ontario


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