An Investigation on Energy Efficiency of Infrared and Induction Cooktops

This study presents detailed energy efficiency analysis and comparison of two types of electric cooktops, i.e., infrared and induction cooktops, under Vietnamese conditions. The cooktops investigated are of nearly similar technical specifications, e.g., capacity, voltage, and the maximum temperature of the glass, and the manufacturing information. Experiments are conducted with both pot and pan in order to evaluate the heat-up time, self-cooling time, overshoot, cooking efficiency, and energy cost of each type of cooktop. Results show that the induction cooktop is considerably energy-efficient than the infrared one. In detail, the maximum cooking efficiency for the former is 98.8% (in the case of using a pan with 0.5 kg water) meanwhile that for the latter is only 63.81% (in the case of using a pot with 5 kg water). Moreover, the heat-up time of the infrared cooktop is significantly greater; for instance, its maximum heat-up time is 60% higher than that of the induction one. Additionally, the estimated annual costs for the induction cooktop is found to be 14.04% lower compared to the infrared one.