Running Cost Comparison

11: Air cooler vs AC, Air fryer vs oven, DIY vs garage service, EV vs diesel, EV vs petrol, Heat pump vs furnace, Induction vs LPG, Nitrogen vs air (tyres), PNG vs LPG, Scooter vs bike, Split vs window AC. Pick one at the top of the tool; the page link updates (for example ?v=cooler-vs-ac) so you can bookmark or share that exact view.

Yes, by a wide margin on electricity — a desert cooler draws roughly 150–200 W against about 1,400 W for a 1.5 ton 3-star split, so around one-seventh the power. Over 240 hours a month at ₹8 a unit that is roughly ₹350 against ₹2,600, before adding the cost of the water the cooler evaporates.

For small portions, yes, typically by 50 to 65 percent per meal. A 1500 W air fryer with a 3-minute preheat and 18 minutes of cooking uses about 0.37 kWh, while a 2400 W oven preheating 12 minutes and cooking 25 uses about 0.88 kWh — roughly 4 INR a meal apart at 8 INR per kWh.

For a minor service it usually is, because the two big garage line items — parts markup and billed labour — both disappear. On the default numbers here a basic oil-and-filter service costs about ₹3,700 in the driveway against roughly ₹5,200 at a workshop, a saving near 29%. The gap narrows fast if you price your own time in.

Usually, but by a much thinner margin than against petrol. A 20 km/l diesel at ₹92 a litre costs about ₹4.60 per km on fuel alone, against roughly ₹1.60 for an EV charged mostly at home — but an efficient diesel driven on expensive public charging can flip the result, which is why the tariff blend matters.

Roughly ₹1.2 to ₹1.8 per km charging at home. A car using 12 kWh per 100 km draws about 13.6 kWh from the socket after charging losses, so at a domestic tariff of ₹8 per unit that is about ₹1.09 per km; the same car on a ₹20-per-unit fast charger costs about ₹2.73 per km.

Divide your annual heat need by each system's efficiency, then multiply by its energy price. A 12,000 kWh heat demand at a seasonal COP of 3.2 needs 3,750 kWh of electricity; the same demand from a 90% efficient furnace needs 13,333 kWh of fuel input. Whichever product of energy and tariff is smaller wins, once any fixed annual charges are added.

It depends almost entirely on your electricity slab. With a 14.2 kg cylinder at ₹900, LPG costs about ₹7.4 per useful kWh, so induction is cheaper only below roughly ₹6.3 a unit; at ₹8 a unit induction costs about ₹9.4 per useful kWh and gas wins. Households on a low first slab or with rooftop solar usually come out ahead on induction.

Usually only if you top up infrequently and drive a lot. A typical car doing 12,000 km a year with quarterly top-ups gains roughly ₹600 a year of fuel and tread from nitrogen's slower leak rate, so a ₹100-per-tyre charge four times a year (₹1,600) loses money. The break-even charge in that case is under ₹40 a tyre per fill.

Roughly 1.25 SCM of piped gas replaces 1 kg of LPG on gross calorific value, so a 14.2 kg domestic cylinder is about 17.7 SCM. The exact ratio depends on the calorific value your distributor bills, which is printed on the piped gas bill and varies with gas composition.

At low annual distances usually yes, because scooters cost less to buy and depreciation dominates a short ownership. As mileage rises, a motorcycle's better fuel economy and longer service and tyre intervals close the gap and eventually overtake — with typical Indian commuter figures the crossover often falls somewhere around 7,000 to 9,000 km a year over five years.