Does using a crockpot vs. stove or oven save or use more energy?

Question

Our family is trying to go greener and just wondering which option uses the least amount of energy and is better for the environment.

Answer 1

My understanding is that the crackpot saves energy. The energy/electricity is used more efficiently as it heats up the pot only, rather than a heating ring that loses heat to the environment as well as heating up a pot.

Answer 2

A crockpot is better than an oven or stove. Compared to a stove, the crockpot maintains more heat and requires less energy per minute, it does take a lot longer to cook something in the crockpot though, so the savings aren't as great. Try putting your hand a few inches from a crockpot and then a stove with a pot on it. The surrounding air on the stove is much hotter, and all that ambient heat is wasted energy. Compared to a stove, a crockpot is also better. Just look at the size difference, a stove has to heat a much larger area and usually food doesn't even fill a quarter of the space, while a crockpot is usually about 75%+ filled with food. One other benefit with a crockpot is during warm months, the heat given off by stoves and ovens can dramatically increase the air temperature in the kitchen and surrounding rooms, requiring more A/C use.

Answer 3

There are few, if any, shortcuts to energy.

Electricity is produced, bought, and sold in units called kilowatt hours (kWhr). 1 kilowatt of usage used for 1 hour is 1 kWhr. (1000 watts = 1 kW)

My crockpot uses 250 watts. If I leave that on for 4 hours, I use 1 kWhr (4 hours x .25 kW = 1kWhr)

My stove burner is 1000 watts or 1 kW. If I use that for 1 hour, I use 1 kWhr, the same as the crockpot for 4 hours.

When I use my crockpot, it's usually an all day deal: 6-8 hours. If you work the equation, you see it's not that efficient. If I cook the same meal on the burner for 1 hour (typical), I potentially use 50% of the power used in the crockpot.

Answer 4

yes,very much so