Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Gas hob / cooker
Needs the grid
One of 11 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
What your site needs
A gas supply or room for a bottle, and extraction above the hob: this is the one appliance in the house that burns fuel in the room people are standing in
A hob or cooker with gas burners. The flame heats the pan straight away and responds instantly, and it keeps working in a power cut. But burning gas indoors fills the room with fumes, so it needs good ventilation above it.
Build it
This solution is not buildable as a DIY project.
Cost
Low
Upkeep
Occasional
Skill to build
Specialist
Lifespan
Long; burners and igniters are the parts that go and both are replaceable
Embodied carbon
Medium
Space / material use
Low
Output timing
On-demand/controllable
Skill to repair
Specialist
Regulation (FR example)
Gas appliances must be installed and commissioned by a qualified fitter, and a French installation is subject to periodic inspection.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Gas hob / cooker (This page) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Specialist · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: No Choose it if you want instant heat that keeps working in a power cut.
Wood cookstove Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Heavy · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the same wood fire to cook and to heat the kitchen.
Solar cooker Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to cook for free on sunny days, with no fuel and no smoke.
Rocket stove cooker Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Heavy · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to cook on a handful of twigs with little smoke.
Household anaerobic biodigester (biogas cooking fuel) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you run a biodigester and want its gas to cook with.
Induction cooktop Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Medium · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: No Choose it if you want the most efficient hob there is.
Haybox / retained-heat cooker (fireless cooker) Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to cut the fuel for slow-cooked dishes by up to four fifths.
Micro-gasifier (TLUD) cookstove Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to cook cleanly on wood and keep the charcoal it leaves.
Solar-powered insulated electric oven Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Daily · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to cook with the sun even after it has gone, from your solar panels.
Insulating pot skirt Can I use it? Works in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: None · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the flame’s heat to stay on the pot while it cooks, for a few euros.
Earth wood-fired bread oven Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Intermediate · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: Occasional · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want to bake bread and pizza outdoors on wood, without heating the house.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.