Ecuador Pushing for Switch from Gas to Induction Cooktops

Ecuador is urging citizens to switch from gas to induction cooktops, with a stated goal being 3.5 million homes applying the new cooking method by the end of 2017.

Naming reasons of better technology, greater efficiency, the use of clean energy and safety, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Esteban Albornoz signaled that if supported by citizens the government would be able to eliminate subsidies on gas.

Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Esteban Albornoz, told citizens at a presentation of induction cooktops, "The country wins because we will not have to import a resource that we do not have like liquid gas. So we will be using our own energy, this is energy sovereignty."

Induction cooking has been proven to be more efficient than gas, as it uses between 85 percent and 90 percent of its emitted energy, while gas uses an estimated 40 percent, therefore losing 60 percent of its energy potential. Educational events and fairs have been held across the country to allow citizens to learn more about the system and exchange experiences.

At demonstrations of the induction cooktops, the Academic Coordinator of Gastronomy at the International University, Amparo Montenegro told teleSUR English, "This is my work tool, so I can say that this type of cooking cuts the time in half of what it would be if it were gas, I can cook in half the time. This permits, obviously that the heat of induction goes directly to the pot and that the energy does not get dispersed around the surface we are working."

Ecuadorean companies, four of them, are currently charged with meeting the demand for induction cooktops, directly creating some 8,000 jobs. The Ecasa factory sells 500 induction cookers at a price of US$252 daily.

Production Engineer of Ecasa Manuel Arias, told teleSUR English in an interview on the factory floor, "The production has gone from being 100, to 150 cookers per day to 500 how we see it today. So this increase in production is because it has been well-received by clients."

Supporting the switch from gas to induction, the government is giving citizens 80 free kilowatts for their first month of use, among other incentives. To help meet demand, Ecuador recently received a credit of 250 million dollars from China, and will import 500,000 induction cookers to put on the national market, so that all those citizens seeking to make the switch from gas to electric will have this new technology within reach.