Ed replied to Priscilla:

>> My point was that my oven is well insulated and most heat doesn't get
>> out of it to heat the house, so it's wasted.
>
> And just where does that heat go????? I don't care how well insulated
> your oven its, any heat not used in the cooking process (absorbed by the
> food) will leave the oven and go into the ambient air surrounding it. It
> is a law of physics than cannot be changed. Does not matter if it is gas,
> electric, or coal fired.

Right. But if the oven is well insulated, the heating element in the oven
will turn on fewer times while cooking is in progress, because less heat is
being lost to the outside, and the temperature inside the oven will remain
fairly constant. Yes, the oven will contribute *some* heat to the house
during that time, because the insulation isn't perfect. When the cooking is
DONE, the oven will contribute heat to the interior of the house, either at
a fast rate (if the oven door is left open) or at a slow rate (if the oven
door is left closed) until the outside and inside temperatures equalize (or
get so close as to make no difference).

Bob