Gas or induction cooktop?

[RenoQueen]

I’ve always used gas but I’ve heard that induction is becoming more popular.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of induction?

Has anyone got any experiences they can share?

Thanks heaps, Vicky

[AndreaNg]

Big advantage is speed – you can get water boiling in no time. But you’ll probably need a new set of pots and pans.

[ProjectPete]

I've always had gas but have also heard good things about induction.

Safer because only specific metal conducts heat on them.

They look nice/sleek but not industrial (which I prefer).

Not sure about energy efficiency.

You're limited as to which pots/pans sets you can get.

[LukeBrowning]

My wife was interested in one because of the ease of cleaning. You can clean the cooktop within minutes of finishing cooking, so very quick and easy. But one thing to note is you might need to check with an electrician whether you can install one. They draw a lot of power. Your power board might need to be upgraded. 

[Emily]

From an energy transfer point of view induction is much more efficient than gas in terms of transferring heat to the material being cooked, but given that gas is much cheaper than electricity a gas stove top will generally be cheaper to run. However unless you're using your stove significantly more than the average household, you'll probably find that the difference between the operating costs is fairly negligible.

The increased energy efficiency of the induction top also means that water will boil much faster, as Andrea pointed out.

[Andy_Mann]

Induction hotplate surfacees do heat up, due to the heat being transferred from the cooking pan/pot, & not directly from the heating process. As others have said, the surface cools much quicker than conventional hotplates, which a plus for cleaning, but if you have kids, it can be a huge safety factor. Says this ol' bloke, who branded his hand on the hot coil elements in his childhood days.
To evaluate induction on the cheap, buy a portable benchtop one, any point point will handle the load.
If you decide to go induction, another bonus is that you'll extend your workbench area, by by being able to prepare food on its flat surface.
Another plus, is that on hot days, you don't add anywhere near as much heat into the kitchen, as the only heat generated into the room, is that from the heat loss of the pan/pot.