Are you just looking at an induction cooktop (If so, which one), or are you looking at an Induction Range? all of the manufacturers "figure worst case" when computing the electrical service. They figure you are boosting all the burners at the same time(Those that don't share power boosts) along with the oven/ovens turned to the highest settings or self clean. We have had our Electrolux Icon Induction cooktop for 6 months now, I beleive it required 40 amps. I never use the boost as the thing is amazingly fast without it---I used it at first ---just to show off with the neighbors---put a paper towel under the pot, added a cup of water, and kicked her to full boost---they were amazed at how fast the bubbles first formed and then boiled. As the induction cooktop only heats the pot, not itself, or the surrounding area, it is very efficient. You will see posts on this site where people mentioning a lot of the gas flames going around the pot and with it the heat. According to different sites, I have checked, Induction is the most energy efficient way to cook---It has been used in Europe for many years, as they have the jump on us when it comes to energy efficiency---they had to be efficient in many parts of Europe---they aren't blessed with the energy resources we have or the "Comparatively Low" prices of energy that the US has. We have a 2700 sq ft house, S Calif---have not had to run AC--so far this year, and our last electric bill was $55 and that is running the induction cooktop, most every day. Hope this helps!! Gary

Since there are several comments here about induction, I thought I'd chime in, especially for those of you who wouldn't mind buying new pans if need be. I cooked on coils, then electric, and was going to go with gas for the reasons many of you have mentioned. Just before we were going to order our appliances for our new house, I did one more check on the appliances forum. People kept mentioning induction, and it sounded really great, so I checked it out and we got the GE Profile induction. (GE and HD rebates really helped lower the price.) I think very few people would be disappointed in choosing induction over gas for the following reasons: It gives you absolute control. When cooking rice, spaghetti sauce, etc. I can get it to simmer EXACTLY as I want it. The cooktop is very easy to clean. The only heat from it is from the food and the pan, not from the burner or heat source--GREAT in the summer! Power boost lets you boil water faster than you would believe. It's more energy efficient. It doesn't throw moisture from the gas combustion into the room, which would be a significant factor in the newer more tightly built houses. Yes, we have an HRV for the whole house and a powerful hood for the cooktop, but I prefer running the vent hood at the lower speed when I can since it is quieter. There are probably some other reasons I'm forgetting, but I would urge you to research induction carefully before deciding on gas. Anne

The size and power of a rangehood need is dependent more on what and how you cook than what type of cooking appliance (cooktop/rangetop/range or gas/electric/induction) you have. While you say you don't fry, you do saute and, as you have found, sauteing does put out quite a bit of grease. Really, it's similar to frying in that respect. (As is browning meat or cooking meat in oil, if you do that as well.) So, what do you need? It's usually recommended you get a hood: 6" wider than the cooking surface...this gives you 3" of width beyond the cooking surface on each side to catch smoke, steam, grease, etc. that expands out as they rise or, in the case of grease, splatter outward as it rises. If you have cabinets directly adjacent to your cooktop/range, then you might be able to get away with a 30" hood b/c the adjacent cabinets will help corral the smoke, grease, steam, etc. and direct them up to the hood. However, keep in mind that this means the grease, steam, smoke, etc. will be coating those cabinet sides...this is one of the reasons I still recommend 6" wider...to protect the sides of the adjacent cabinets. [If this were an island or peninsula application, I would say it's "mandatory" the hood be at least 6" wider, and preferably more! (B/c of the additional & stronger air currents over an open space like that.)] 24" deep to cover the entire front burners + a little more to catch drifting smoke, steam, etc. Counters are 25.5" deep and, for a cooktop, that means the burners are a few inches back from the edge. (I just measured, the front of my burners are approx 22.5" from the back wall...so 1.5" of the hood extends past the front of the burners.) Ranges are usually even deeper than the adjacent counters. I would measure how far from the wall the front of the front burners are...this will dictate the best depth for you. If it's no more than 24", I would probably stick w/a 24" hood as a 27" hood might be even deeper than the range and in the way when cooking. [If this were an island or peninsula application, I would recommend a 27" deep hood; again, b/c of the additional & stronger air currents. In the case of an island/peninsula installation, you could mount the hood so the front edge is an inch or so from the counter edge & then extends back towards the other side of the island/peninsula.] Since you do saute and grease is heavier than smoke particles or steam, I would recommend at least 600cfms...more if you would like to run it on a lower speed to reduce noise. I have a 600-cfm hood and it seems to do a good job at removing the grease, smoke, etc. I do know that I no longer have grease splatters on the surrounding cabinets (a good thing since they're not cheap cabinets!) nor do odors spread throughout the house and linger for many hours! I no longer go to bed at night smelling what I cooked that night in my second floor bedroom! (Nor do I wake to it the next morning!) If you want...

It's seems most of the posters here don't understand your situation--you have a broken appliance you want to replace, not remodel your kitchen. I also faced this previously in a home with a downdraft range in the island. The electric Jenn Air downdraft range/convection oven was a slide-in and in an unfortunate off-white color I hated. At one point while someone was standing on the island to replace bulbs in the recessed lighting the cooktop got stepped on and broken. I was thrilled about the opportunity to replace the range. That was until I started shopping... There are hardly ANY options available and they are all extremely expensive. Downdraft was the only option in the house--there was no need or interest to remodel the kitchen which was otherwise great. I ended up ordering a new electric top for the Jenn Air I had which cost about $1000 alone. This was far cheaper than buying an entirely new unit at the cost of several thousand $. My parents also once had a gas cooktop on an island with a downdraft fan that rose out of the island at the push of a button--if you have room, this may be an option? But if you need the oven below this may not work. I've had two Jenn Air downdrafts in my life and the fans are not as effective as an overhead vent but they aren't worthless.