How Much Does a Stove Cost
Have you always loved to cook? If you have, then it raises no doubts that you use the basic cooking equipment, like the stove, to help you make your dishes most of the time. But if you have noticed that your cooker is about to break down, it pushes you to buy and replace it with a new one.
Considering that technology has progressed so much in recent years, you would typically ask yourself how much does a stove cost nowadays? Has it become more expensive or does it cost cheap yet still boasts with outstanding quality?
Apparently, the answer depends on what type of stove you need and how much you have set aside for the equipment. However, getting the best one could take a lot of your time since there are so many options to choose from and new factors that you may want to consider before finally making the purchase.
For your convenience and reference, here are three, commonly-used types of stoves with their features and estimate prices as presented by CNET. It also gives gas stove installation price and the process on how to hook up a gas stove.
- Gas
Perhaps, this is the most basic cooking stove there is. But it has been modernized to suit the lifestyle of the consumers. Gas stoves use either butane, liquefied petroleum gas, natural gas, propane or other combustible gases as their source of power. Before gas was popularized, solid fuel like coal or wood had been utilized to ignite the equipment.
Highly valued for its uniform heat output, gas stoves produce an open flame, providing heat that is equally distributed on all areas of your cookware’s bottoms. This model is ideal for cooking daily dishes and occasional baking activities.
British Thermal Unit (BTU) is used to measure the heat output that varies from size of the stove’s burner. The general range is between 5,000 and 17,000 BTUs for low heat produced by small burners and high heat released by large burners, respectively.
More than its even heat distribution feature, gas stoves are economical since they don’t need electricity to do their function, allowing you to use this type even when there are power outages.
Each gas stove unit has a price that ranges from $469 to $3,149, depending on the brand name or other impressive features. However, you can spend more than the purchase price if you want someone to install it for you.
To give you an idea, connecting the cooking device to a gas line is how to hook up a gas stove. As easy as it may sound, there are times when a technician has to do the job, making sure that the system is safe, secured and has no signs of gas leaks.
For a much detailed process, the first thing to do is pull out the gas stove and turn off all the connected gas lines to avoid accidents. Second is to wrap the pipe threads using a Teflon pipe-joint tape to make sure that gas will not leak, Third is to carefully link the gas connector to the gas line by screwing the nuts on both ends. Fourth is screwing a street elbow into the stove’s gas port and screwing the other end of the connector to fit into the street elbow. Fifth is important since you have to check that the nuts are all tightened well. Sixth lets you turn on the stove to check if gas is leaking out from the system. You can spray the joints and nuts with gas leak detector, which is available at home centers.
The gas stove installation price starts with $112 if there is already an existing gas line to connect the stove with. However, the work can cost about $201 if there is a need to link the equipment to a new gas line.
Furthermore, the distance between the stove and fuel supply as well as the availability of spaces required to make the supply lines running will definitely affect the total installation cost.
- Electric
How much does a stove cost when it is powered by electricity? It is between $399 and $1,649.
Electric stove is ideal when you don’t want to do anything with flammable gases. This type uses electrical energy and converts it into heat to cook your dishes or bake your pastries. It can either come with an induction cooktops or electric coils.
Built with thermostat sensors that indicate the burner is turned on, electric stoves are preferred by some consumers because they will not be worried about possible occurrences of gas leaks. Unlike gas stoves, they do not produce open flames that may cause fire accidents.
Despite its safety features, electric stoves are not reliable when it comes to perfect cooking. Sometimes, parts of your dish will not be cooked well because the cooktops or coils do not get same amount of heat, resulting to poor uncooked food especially on the sides. However, this is still an impressive choice since it exudes affordability and simplicity.
When it comes to installation rates, the price of installing electric stove is lesser than the gas stove installation price. According to Redbeacon, it is between $98 and $182.
The project cost depends on the condition or quality of the existing wiring system. Moreover, making changes or doing upgrades entails more time and requires the professional services of an electrician.
While linking the stove and fuel supply is how to hook up a gas stove, setting up electric stoves can easily be completed if the wiring is properly in place. However, the job becomes more difficult if there is a need or if you choose to put another power source.
- Commercial-Style Stoves
If you are looking for a much bigger stove, then you can have this type of cooker. Just like gas stoves, commercial-style stoves are powered by gas and has at least 8 burners, which you can use to cook a number of dishes simultaneously or all at once.
However, a commercial-style stove isn’t well-suited for a traditional or household kitchen due to its size. This is ideal for bigger kitchens like in hotels and restaurants.
And since this is larger and has more burners than gas stoves and electric stoves have, this is sold at a price between $1,259 and $9,880.