Cheap ways to convert from gas to induction cooking

Converting a freestanding electric oven with a gas cooktop to all electric can be an expensive exercise if you need to replace the benchtop, extend the cabinetry and get new wiring in place. But these examples show how to do it for low cost.

Keep your oven and convert the cooktop

This 2-burner portable induction cooktop sits on a wooden box that has been placed over the existing gas cooktop.

By removing the gas cooktop hardware, a wooden board can be placed on top of the oven and three inexpensive portable induction hotplates installed.

Slightly more involved - the whole cooktop area of the oven has been removed and replaced with a wooden frame supporting a full induction cooktop.

Replacing a weird-sized in-bench gas cooktop with an induction cooktop

The gas cooktop in this house was about 40 years old and an odd shape. No induction cooktops could be found that would fit the cutout, so a wooden frame was made to cover the hole in the benchtop and allow a 60 cm second hand induction cooktop to be installed.

The 40 year old gas cooktop was a weird size, so a wooden frame covers the hole and allows an induction cooktop to be installed.

Replacing the whole oven

A very old free-standing gas oven was replaced with an separate electric oven and induction cooktop. The oven and cooktop were fitted into a $150, 60 cm flatpack kitchen cabinet module. This module could then directly replace the free-standing oven. The gaps could then be covered over with bits of cabinetry to match the rest of the kitchen.

Tips to reduce costs and get things to fit

Low power units

Most built-in induction cooktops require a new 30 Amp circuit to be run from your switchboard, which adds cost. But, the ‘Omega 60cm Induction Cooktop 10 Amp Power Phasing’ model can be installed with only a 10 Amp supply. You will still need a visit from an electrician, but it will be a lot cheaper than running a new circuit.

Buy second-hand

You’ll often find induction cooktops on Facebook Marketplace and other secondhand online sites. They won’t come with a warranty but you can often get really good brands cheaply.

Find a unit to fit your cut out

The Appliances Online website includes a handy tool called ‘Cut out dimensions’ that allows you to filter induction cooktop models based on the size of the cut out they will fit into. If you search for the installation manual for your gas cooktop online you’ll likely find the cut out size that’s under your cooktop (hopefully - there’s no guarantee that the installer actually looked at the instructions!).

Get the gap right

A final thing to note about induction cooktops is that they need good ventilation underneath them- you don’t want to overheat the electrical circuitry beneath the cooktop. Make sure you have the specified gap between the oven and the cooktop or use a heat shield. Even better - install the cooktop and the oven in separate locations.