[cameldrv]

It’s probably pretty close to a wash. A gas stove is about 40% efficient.

A good combined cycle has power plant is about 60%, transmission is about 90%, and an induction stove is about 85%. That gives a net efficiency of 46%.

[maccard]

So that's better if you're sourced by gas, and _way_ better if you're sourced by a renewable method? Looking at the national grid [0] in the UK, 40% of our energy came from gas, and most of the rest is renewable energy or nuclear. That significantly swings in favour of electric kettles.

[0] https://grid.iamkate.com/

[cameldrv]

Well you have to consider the margin. If you change out your gas stove, where is the extra bit of electricity going to come from? Probably gas, although they may build some more renewable if enough people switch.

A gas stove is one of the last things that should be converted, because heat is the most efficient use of fossil fuels.

In general, any conversion of heat energy to mechanical or electrical energy will have a fairly low efficiency, so switching an energy source in a way that adds such a conversion will have at best a small benefit.

On the other hand, switching from a gas to an electric car requires an extra heat->mechanical conversion step at the power plant, but it removes a heat->mechanical conversion step in the car, so in general this is a favorable trade.

You can also get a favorable trade in home heating if you replace a gas furnace with an electric heat pump, or a gas water heater with a heat pump water heater, because the heat pump can get effectively well over 100% efficiency.