How it Works

The range’s electric stove top uses heating elements - or burners - shaped like flat coils to provide heat. The temperature and cooking cycle is controlled by a series of dials or touch screens. Some modern ranges have a glass stove top with built-in elements.  

Ranges usually include an oven for baking, roasting and broiling. The electric range’s oven heats up with one or several electrical heating elements, mounted at the bottom or back of the oven compartment. A heating element is also mounted at the top of the oven for roasting, grilling and broiling. Some ovens have electric fans to evenly distribute heat for cooking.

What Can Go Wrong?

Ranges are exposed to a harsh working environment. Heat, grease and electric power in some combination are usually the cause of breakdown. The stove top oven uses a circuit board that can eventually warp and crack - even under normal use. Its heating elements can fail because of broken down wiring, but they are easily replaced.

A serious impact to a glass-top range can sever connections and render its elements unusable. In these cases, glass-top replacement is often less cost effective than replacing the entire unit. 

Environmental Impact

An electric range’s energy consumption depends on how it is used: Many families use the electric stove top for quick meals and the oven for long-term cooking. A typical family of three will use about 1,272 kilowatt-hours (kWh) every year, while producing about 1,920 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per year.