How energy efficient are gas ranges?

Gas ranges require only about one-third the energy of an average electric range, making them much more energy efficient. Provided that the gas range has electric ignition rather than a continuously burning pilot light, it costs about half as much to operate a gas range for the same cooking time.

In addition to energy efficiency, gas ranges offer quicker and easier control of heat. The major drawback of gas ranges is that they are more expensive to buy and install. Electric ranges that work by heating the gas in halogen bulbs under a ceramic cooktop or by inducing electric currents in iron or steel cookware are more efficient than ranges with electric coils but are also more expensive.