LPG Cylinder vs Induction Cooking Cost Calculator

The comparison holds useful heat to the food constant: $Q_d=n Q_{meal}$ per day in session mode. In measured-electricity mode, $Q_d=E_{meter}\eta_i/T_{period}$; the reported induction bill then uses the original meter kWh, and LPG is the equal-heat alternative. Fuel inputs are $E_g=Q_d/\eta_g$ and $E_i=Q_d/\eta_i$. With LPG heating value $H$ (lower-heating-value basis by default), daily mass is $m_d=E_g/H$ and cylinder life is $D=M/m_d$. All energy conversions use explicit units; MECS eCAP, Table 7 (attached p.32), uses 46.1 MJ/kg, equal to 12.80556 kWh/kg.

Preset monthly electricity allowances are multiplied by $f$: billing days divided by 30 in planning mode, or the utility billing factor entered in invoice mode. Thirty days is a planning convention, not a statutory calendar rule. Custom slab entries already describe the whole billing period and are not multiplied again. Kenya DC3 requires $E_0/f>100$ kWh per tariff month; its sweep starts at $101f$ kWh for the whole bill.

For a progressive electricity tariff, the bill is the sum of each occupied slab's kWh times its rate. Cooking costs $B(E_0+E_i)-B(E_0)$, not the household's historical average price times cooking kWh. The next-unit result is the actual cost of the next 1 kWh before cooking; a separate calculated step gives the next 1 kWh after cooking. The effective cooking rate is the extra bill divided by cooking kWh. The break-even flat rate is LPG period cost divided by induction period kWh.

The 365-day annualized refill demand is $N_y=365m_d/M$. Annual subsidy is $S_y=s\min(N_y,N_{cap})$, and average net refill price is $P-S_y/N_y$. Period LPG cost is consumed mass divided by refill mass, multiplied by this net price. This is a steady-use annual allowance model, not a forecast of payment dates or remaining eligibility.

MECS India's March 2026 review, printed p.36 / attached p.41, reports household iron-burner LPG efficiencies around 60–65%; 60% is the default. Frontier Energy's DOE-hosted cooktop analysis reports commercial gas boil tests around 25–40% and induction around 80–85%; 85% is the induction default. These are different tasks and populations. The calculator does not claim that a boil efficiency describes every meal. The default 0.45 kWh useful heat per household session is an editable scenario, not a measured universal meal.

Regression cases check implementation. Two WISIONS Table 14 cases (s11 p.34) use original meter readings and published worked outcomes. Since the report omits electric losses, reproduction uses induction efficiency 1; LPG displacement is worked, not independently measured. Its narrative's NPR 341 low-use maximum is gross; the table's NPR 258.94 net value is used.

• Constant daily cooking demand; both alternatives deliver the same useful food heat with unchanged cooking technique.
• Efficiencies and heating value use the same calorific basis; the default LPG basis is lower heating value. Losses include energy not delivered to food; they are not all retained as room heat.
• A full, usable LPG refill has the stated net mass; no leakage, unusable residue or fuel sharing. The drawing's fill fraction is schematic mass, not actual liquid height or pressure.
• Every cost is in the selected snapshot's currency, or the currency selected for custom prices. No exchange-rate comparison is made.
• Preset monthly allowances and monthly eligibility thresholds use the selected billing factor: days/30 for planning, or the exact utility factor. Custom slab allowances are entered for the whole period. Five equal rates give a flat tariff. Fixed connection charges cancel only if the tariff category and connection stay unchanged.
• No automatic electricity rebates, all-units repricing or lifeline-category changes. Kenya's preset is restricted to existing use above 100 kWh per tariff month so its DC3 category remains applicable.
• Nigeria and Kenya rows contain no separate household LPG subsidy deduction in this model. This does not assert that every consumer is ineligible for assistance.
• LPG subsidy is annualized over 365 days. The PMUY example is the quoted FY 2025–26 provision of INR 300 per 14.2 kg refill for up to nine refills; it is not an assertion of today's eligibility.
• Remaining LPG in the animation is clamped to zero; there are no automatic refills.
• In measured-electricity mode, the meter total covers cooking only and the same billing period; induction efficiency converts it to useful heat for the LPG comparison.

Use for comparative operating energy costs and cylinder endurance, not equipment sizing or guaranteed household bills. Planning periods use 30-day tariff months; select the utility's billing factor for a precise calendar bill. Custom limits must already cover the whole period. The supplied snapshots deliberately have different dates. India LPG: Delhi, 12 March 2026; India electricity: BYPL February 2025 base domestic slabs (200 / 400 / 800 / 1200 kWh at INR 3 / 4.5 / 6.5 / 7 / 8 per kWh). Electricity rebates, PPAC, taxes and surcharges are excluded from this preset, so its result is a base-energy comparison. Enter current effective incremental rates for a personal decision.

Nigeria: NBS national mean 5 kg refill NGN 8,323.95 in June 2025; NERC Ikeja Band A Non-MD NGN 209.50/kWh from June 2025, excluding any separately billed tax. A national fuel average is not an Ikeja supplier quote.

Kenya: KNBS March 2026 national mean 13 kg LPG refill KES 3,132.34; EPRA December 2024 DC3 all-in electricity KES 28.71/kWh (base 19.08 + pass-through 4.96 + taxes/levies 4.67). This mixed-date historical scenario must not be presented as a March 2026 complete utility tariff. DC3 eligibility uses existing whole-period kWh divided by the selected tariff-month factor. Lower-use households need their own incremental bill estimate.

No electric-pressure-cooker savings are inferred from an induction efficiency. Cooking time, appliance wattage, standby, purchase cost, replacement cookware, capital payback, emissions, indoor air quality, outages and backup-fuel costs are excluded. Progressive custom slabs must increase in their energy limits; rates may rise or fall. For changing regulations or installations, check against the rules in force. Gas and electrical installation work belongs to a qualified person.