Leccy usage walloped down.

Just to let you know that, since I started using the oven and the microwave on my combi-microwave for small items like a ready meal or scampi etc instead of the old oven we inherited, my leccie bill has really shot down. Anyone else have one and used it instead of their oven?

I've not got a combi-microwave, but have always used my ordinary m/w, my George Forman grill or my slow-cooker, so so only use my small top gas oven for the occasional traybake, or batch of muffins.
I'm not sure if gas cooking is actually cheaper than electric, comparison seems difficult...

I guess I really must learn how to use our combi microwave...

Up to now, the instructions are just gobbledegook, so I suppose it's my fault, but risking a whole meal isn't a pleasant option just at this minute!

I agree with your overall comments, but of course an electric oven doesn't use electricity all the time - it cycles on and off according to temperature in the oven, whilst a gas oven is using gas throughout. Probably doesn't cancel it out, but might make the difference less extreme.

The gas flame/pressure does go up and down in response to the thermostat setting, though. Once lit and the oven is up to temperature the gas flame reduces to a, sometimes, much lower level to keep the heat at the set thermostat level. So I think gas ovens are controlled by the thermostat, in much the same way as electric ones are.

Our son bought us a microwave like yours when our old one died.  I hadn't used any of the other facilities until fuel became so expensive.  I bought an airfryer to cut down on fat consumption and use this almost every day, combined with the all-singing, all-dancing microwave, my one-pot and my slow cooker, I rarely use the oven now.   It's only switched on for baking, and only then if I can totally fill it, and for a Sunday roast, when again I can use every shelf and cook sufficient quantities for spare freezer 'ready' meals.
I can't say that our power usage has declined by much, but it certainly hasn't gone up either.

Quote from: mumofstig on January 17, 2023, 14:29

I'm not sure if gas cooking is actually cheaper than electric, comparison seems difficult...

Gas ovens and hobs are both cheaper to run than any electric alternative of similar size and heat output, not because they're more efficient (they're not), but because electricity costs about 3 times as much per kilowatt hour at the moment. Gas ovens and hobs average about half the cost to run, although that's not the only consideration for some:
https://chefspick.co.uk/is-gas-oven-cheaper-to-run-than-electric/

I use my non-combi microwave whenever I can for cooking tasks that don't require the hob or oven (I even microwave spuds for mashing - takes a bit of practice but quicker and cheaper than boiling them, especially when cooking for one.)

I had to look up what a 'hob' was.  we call them 'cook tops' over here, unless it is combined with an oven (the combined unit is called a 'range' here).