Households with gas hobs face charges of £98 a year for using their burners for an hour a day following the new Ofgem price cap being introduced from April.

Gas hobs have been the subject of scrutiny in recent years, with concerns over indoor pollution caused by gas appliances having been raised by charities including the British Heart Foundation.

But gas ovens and gas hobs remain a popular appliance for households across the UK and remain a favourite due to their cheaper cost per hour to run versus electric ovens and induction hobs.

The price of gas per unit will drop from April ever so slightly, down from 5.93p per unit to 5.74p.

According to gas energy calculators, based on an average calorific value of 39.5, from April it will cost 20p per hour to run a large gas hob and 7p an hour to run a small one, for a total cost of 27p per hour based on April’s price cap rate of 5.74p per kWh.

Now, the same gas supply would cost 29p per hour, so the reduction is negligible.

The calorific value of the gas varies across different regions and is constantly measured by National Gas and sent to the energy suppliers to help calculate your monthly bill. It varies because, on any given day, the level of actual usable energy contained in the gas supply can differ and this is what determines the calorific value.

It means that, if the gas hobs cost 27p an hour to run, then using gas hobs for one hour per day for a year would cost £98.55 based on April’s price cap.

But costs will rise further from July, based on the latest forecasts, thanks to the chaos in the Middle East spiking wholesale gas and energy prices.

Last week, analysts at Cornwall Insight predicted that household energy bills could rise by 10% from July after sharp increases in wholesale gas prices.

This means Ofgem’s price cap for July to September would surge to £1,801 a year for a typical dual fuel household – an increase of £160 or 10% on April’s cap.