bread making and power consumption

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bread making and power consumption

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Anders

Joined: 27 Jan 2005
Posts: 317

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 06 2:39 pm Post subject: bread making and power consumption
Just found this in an article on saving electricity: "The biggest user of electricity in our house believe it or not and I was certainly surprised was the bread maker! It took 4hrs to produce a loaf of bread using a full 1kw to do so." Wonder what the power consumption would be for an oven?

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 06 2:43 pm Post subject: Re: bread making and power consumption

Anders wrote:

Wonder what the power consumption would be for an oven?

And per loaf. I never make fewer than two loaves at a time by hand. Sometimes 3 or 4 if I'm in a really bad mood!

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 06 2:45 pm Post subject:
Is a breadmaker using power at that rate all the time it's on, or is it just rated at 1kW?

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 06 3:00 pm Post subject:
I thought they were meant to be more efficient than the oven (though it makes sense to do 2/3 a go). I've been thinking about what I would do if our breadmaker died, I love it soooooo much but if it is so inefficient Has anyone used those things that test how much power an appliance is using? Do they work?

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28234
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 06 3:11 pm Post subject:
There are some figure here which are more optimistic that a 1kwh, which does strike me as too high. Remember a breadmaker only has to get up to temp for part of the cycle and will then switch on/off like any other with a thermostat. https://www.rpc.com.au/reindex.html?https://www.rpc.com.au/news/newsletters/29marc00.html

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28234
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 06 3:14 pm Post subject:
running costs here place the cost of a loaf at pennies. https://www.trustpower.co.nz/Content/PowerSavings.aspx

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 06 3:16 pm Post subject: Re: bread making and power consumption

Anders wrote:

It took 4hrs to produce a loaf of bread using a full 1kw to do so."

Gotta agree with Sean. It ain't using 1kw while its proofing! Yup it will for most of the time its *baking*, but not while its mixing and rising.
I'd estimate its usage as very very little for 3 hours, and full heating power for 1 hour. Total usage thus about 1kWh (1 'unit' - probably less than 10p) - the same as running an electric kettle (or approximately an oven) for 20 minutes.

There's another point generally not considered, re winter in the UK.
Is your heating on? (Whatever sort.)
Cos if it is, then all that "wasted" electricity isn't so much a matter of being *wasted*, as it is a case of peak-rate electricity being used for room heating, rather than whatever other fuel. (Sure if your heating is 100% biofuel, then you are 'wasting' fossil carbon - though if you are on a 100% renewable deal with your supplier, we're back again to it being an efficiency and financial thing.)
Consider the case of using 4 units of electricity to cook in the oven.
Its cost you about 40p. But the oven heat will all go into the house. Reducing the heating bill, if mains gas, by at least 10p...
Only in the winter, though.

AussieDave

Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 2

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 06 7:42 pm Post subject:

I wrote the breadmaker article referred to above. I use a breadmaker regularly on my solar power system- they are very effecient- most of the time they use no power while the dough is allowed to rise etc. Breadmakers use between 200- 300 Wh per loaf- eg the same as a 100w light globe run for 3 hours (or similiar to a family size television.

For more power consumption data, have a look at the inverter section on our website FAQ.

All the best

AussieDave
www.rpc.com.au

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 06 8:45 pm Post subject:
G'day AussieDave! Thanks for that confirmation. I hope you'll find other interesting things on the site and stick around. Sadly, I have to tell you that you're not our farthest flung member! But nearly. (We have a kiwi...)

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46211
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 06 8:46 pm Post subject:
on photovoltaic , lucky boy , i have trouble making a radio work in middle pomland . that sort of energy use is well within domestic generation capability though ,water or wind should work round here .

AussieDave

Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 2

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 06 7:19 pm Post subject:
Thanks guys for the welcome- actually it isn't very sunny here today- just had 350mm (a foot ?) of rain in the last day- I live near Brisbane which is a sub-tropical (bananas, avocados & citrus grow here) All the best AussieDave

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 06 7:22 pm Post subject:
I'd be tempted if everything in Oz wasn't out to kill you; jellyfish, sharks, spiders, snakes, toads...

Silas

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 6848
Location: Staffordshire

Posted: Thu Jan 19, 06 7:28 pm Post subject:
The longest cycle on my breadmaker is 3 hours. for the first half hour it is mixing, then about 90 min proofing ( low power on thermostat) and about an hour baking, again on thermostat - so............

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