You forgot the cost. Gas is much cheaper than electricity in most places.
So unless gas is 1/2 the price of electricity where you are at, induction still wins!
Oh and because gas puts approximately 50% of its heat into the environment and not the cookware, it can cause an increase in AC costs in the summer!
I find it hard to believe given global markets that it is more than half of the cost in more than just a few extreme parts of the world.
Or a decrease in heating costs in the winter. :)
What the heck is that? Where in the western world can't you run an electric induction stove? And what would the environmental impacts of that be?
Gas leaks and gas explosions is nothing I see as benefits.
And en electric stove also have many benefits over gas such as automatically turning off, timer based shut off etc.
> What the heck is that?
Try searching for "UPS" on Amazon. How many of the search results would be capable of powering an electric stove (to cook meals) through a several-day electrical outage? If you looked at larger units (and generators) which were capable of doing that - what physical/electrical/safety issues would you face in actually connecting them to a typical residential stove? And once you're into the generators - those have their own fuel safety issues.
> Where in the western world can't you run an electric induction stove?
Anywhere that does not have electrical power available, during a power outage. Which the comment I was replying to very specifically pointed out.
Impulse Labs would like to sell you a really nice 4-pan stove with a built in battery that will ride through a decently long outage.
But there's also the virtue of tech that just works, without everyone having to spend time & money researching/purchasing/maintaining/using backup systems to cover its frequent outages.
Tech like those old gas stoves.
Gas stovetop costs $400 and just works.
As a backup I would recommend a camping stove that uses ethanol over using a UPS system.
Vs. the USA? Further up the chain of replies, this was specified:
>>> Here in New York I lose power several times a year - sometimes for multiple days at a time. In 5 decades I've never lost my gas.
And I know quite a few people in Michigan who had similar experiences last year. Total outage duration for many of them was >2 weeks.
(I'll admit that, these days, "USA isn't really a developed country any more" is a credible argument.)
It'd cost me $20k to install an induction stove, not buying it.
I lose power in SF 3-4 times a year, have never lost gas. Last power outage I cooked with gas and it was great. I have gas heat too, always works.
My newer neighborhood (25 years old) has buried power lines, but it's fed from overhead power lines, so we still have power issues. I'm not advocating for gas over electric, just giving some perspective from another part of the world.
In the North East, usually a wet snow or freezing rain to ice will cause the branches to fall.
In the South, drought will often weaken the trees and winds will will do the rest.
Excessive rain can also cause problems when coupled with wind. The trees topple over, roots and all.
Hurricanes and tornadoes will often cause prolonged outages, note that the wind form these can reach far inland and beyond what we consider the edge of the hurricane.