Gen 2 inverter and new induction hob

We are planning a kitchen refurb and looking to move from gas to an induction hob. However we have a gen 2 inverter with max 3.6kw discharge and wondering how this will cope please? We stagger power hungry devices and rarely import, however will an induction hob make that a lot trickier please? I see power ratings ranging from 1.5 to 2 kw per zone, so i guess with a few pots on the go at start up, it's easy to exceed the inverter max? What's the real world experience please? Or stick with gas?

My induction hob switches on and off quite fast (e.g. 1 second on, 2 seconds off) so the inverter can't respond quick enough. My view is as long as the battery does the toast, I don't mind using the grid for the beans 🙂

A related question I've been meaning to raise. One catch I'm aware of is the extent to which an induction hob can modulate at low powers. Cheaper ones simply pulse (cycle) at relatively high power, which is bad for inverters, since they are having to react to changes in demand. (I think newer firmwares are better at this, but still best avoided if possible.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCruda_1oIY

Unfortunately, I'm not quite sure how to find such information. Any recommended brands (or brands to avoid) ?

(EtA: sounds like rubikcube has one of the less-good ones...)

DD useful, thank you. Even more to research than I thought! It will likely be a Neff or similar so hopefully it will control well at low power. Although I still need to get a handle on the start up consumption. Gas is cheap at the moment but that may well change. However I need to be careful we're not installing appliances which push us into peak usage. My guess is that the usage when modulating is well within the inverter output, but then there may be an oven or air fryer etc running at the same time.

sponev We had a Neff induction hob for 15 years until we moved. I still miss it 🙂

It was on its own 32A spur though, as it could pull a lot more power than an oven.

Got a Stoves range cooker about 8 years old and a 5kw gen 1. Don’t really have a problem unless cooking a large Sunday dinner for 6 or more people despite there only being 2.6kw available in the winter. When we have gone over the amount of money is insignificant. One other thing is that while the air fryer is cheap for two people the oven is better for cooking larger quantities so if you put it on fill it up. Induction hob seems very economical. Large frying pan (32cm) of breakfast is fine!

sponev We stagger power hungry devices ... so i guess with a few pots on the go at start up, ...

Can you stagger the startup of pots too? So that you're only bringing one up to the boil at a time?

I believe you can get hobs which limit the total power draw, but it's possible those are the ones that plug into a 13A socket. rather than being wired in.

Very useful thanks. It gets a bit like a pilgrimage with trying to eliminate peak rate use but I suspect we've lost the broader perspective to be honest. As you say, I suspect the short bursts which exceed the available 3.6 would total not a great deal at all. We also run A2A heat pumps so I do need to take it all into account. Maybe this is my excuse to get a second inverter but i was holding off on that until it's proven that they can play nicely. All food for thought, cheers.

DD Don't get a "portable" induction hob - they're more like ceramic hobs in terms of control. They might be efficient because they're induction but they are awful to cook on compared to a proper induction hob.

I’ve got Gen 1 hybrid inverter as well and at times I can see the oven and rings in the range cooker drawing 4kW which is more than the 2.6 discharge off my inverter, but as Simon says, its pennies really.

Even if it were 2kW grid draw for an hour of cooking at peak time, that’d be about 60-70p on most of the import tariffs.

DD too much hassle to start staggering stuff at meal times I reckon. There are hobs which you can limit i believe but as you say, I think they are the current limited ones. Another consideration is the stonking great cable they'd need to run from the consumer unit, not cheap and not a simple run.

Cheers folks, lots of handy info which will help us make a better informed choice.

sponev Get the best Neff one you can afford and worry about the inverter later is my advice. The induction hob will outlast the inverter 😉

Rubikcube Our induction hob switches in and out at the lower settings too and foxes the inverter in the same way. I am told that it is better to get one that uses limited constant power at all heat settings but I think these tend to be the more expensive ones.

killythebid They are and the cooking experience is like night and day.

DD rubikcube has one of the less-good ones

Yep, I bought a cheap one, but even so I prefer it to a gas hob. Maybe one day I will replace it with a better one.

I think the energy cost is insignificant really and probably not much different to gas. Even boiling potatoes costs less in energy than the potatoes cost. Cooking at home is way cheaper than eating out, ordering take out, or even microwaving ready meals. See the big picture and not worry too much about a bit of energy. Definitely get an induction hob.

I’ve got a Neff 5 zone hob. It’s when the oven goes on as well you have to worry 😂

Hook We would not need one that big as it is just a secondary unit (2 zone) to do things quickly when the Rayburn is not fired up which is what we use for batch/larger cooking sessions.

I actually switched my electric kettle out for a traditional one that works on the hob as the battery even on my gen 1 inverter can cover the load.

I have a 1.4, 1.8 and 3x2.2 kWh zones.

Since I generally have excess in the battery at the end of the day, and export it anyway, perhaps I can work around any pulsing issue by simply forcing an export at sufficient power, and letting the grid worry about the pulses - ie it's either going to the hob or to export, and the inverter doesn't have to concern itself about what happens to it.

DD yes that's what I did with my airfrier before I moved to intelligent flux (it exports automatically now!)

The airfrier doesn't click on as much as an induction hob would, but certainly more than an oven.

Forcing an export meant it didn't import whilst I was cooking, rather than see it try to get back to zero all the time.