diff --git a/pyop2/local_kernel.py b/pyop2/local_kernel.py
index 4807463b8..a6c04b9c4 100644
--- a/pyop2/local_kernel.py
+++ b/pyop2/local_kernel.py
@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@
 from typing import Union
 
 import coffee
+from coffee.visitors import EstimateFlops
 import loopy as lp
 from loopy.tools import LoopyKeyBuilder
 import numpy as np
 
 from pyop2 import version
-from pyop2.configuration import configuration
 from pyop2.datatypes import ScalarType
 from pyop2.exceptions import NameTypeError
 from pyop2.types import Access
@@ -152,28 +152,9 @@ def arguments(self):
                      for acc, dtype in zip(self.accesses, self.dtypes))
 
     @cached_property
+    @abc.abstractmethod
     def num_flops(self):
         """Compute the numbers of FLOPs if not already known."""
-        if self.flop_count is not None:
-            return self.flop_count
-
-        if not configuration["compute_kernel_flops"]:
-            return 0
-
-        if isinstance(self.code, coffee.base.Node):
-            v = coffee.visitors.EstimateFlops()
-            return v.visit(self.code)
-        elif isinstance(self.code, lp.TranslationUnit):
-            op_map = lp.get_op_map(
-                self.code.copy(options=lp.Options(ignore_boostable_into=True),
-                               silenced_warnings=['insn_count_subgroups_upper_bound',
-                                                  'get_x_map_guessing_subgroup_size',
-                                                  'summing_if_branches_ops']),
-                subgroup_size='guess')
-            return op_map.filter_by(name=['add', 'sub', 'mul', 'div'],
-                                    dtype=[ScalarType]).eval_and_sum({})
-        else:
-            return 0
 
     def __eq__(self, other):
         if not isinstance(other, LocalKernel):
@@ -214,6 +195,12 @@ def dtypes(self):
     def dtypes(self, dtypes):
         self._dtypes = dtypes
 
+    @cached_property
+    def num_flops(self):
+        """Set the numbers of FLOPs to 0 if not already known,
+           because there is no way to measure or estimate the FLOPS for string kernels. """
+        return self.flop_count if self.flop_count is not None else 0
+
 
 class CoffeeLocalKernel(LocalKernel):
     """:class:`LocalKernel` class where `code` has type :class:`coffee.base.Node`."""
@@ -231,13 +218,19 @@ def dtypes(self):
     def dtypes(self, dtypes):
         self._dtypes = dtypes
 
+    @cached_property
+    def num_flops(self):
+        """Compute the numbers of FLOPs if not already known
+           using COFFEE's FLOP estimation algorithm."""
+        return self.flop_count if self.flop_count is not None else EstimateFlops().visit(self.code)
+
 
 class LoopyLocalKernel(LocalKernel):
     """:class:`LocalKernel` class where `code` has type :class:`loopy.LoopKernel`
         or :class:`loopy.TranslationUnit`.
     """
 
-    @validate_type(("code", (lp.LoopKernel, lp.TranslationUnit), TypeError))
+    @validate_type(("code", (lp.TranslationUnit), TypeError))
     def __init__(self, code, *args, **kwargs):
         super().__init__(code, *args, **kwargs)
 
@@ -250,3 +243,29 @@ def _loopy_arguments(self):
         """Return the loopy arguments associated with the kernel."""
         return tuple(a for a in self.code.callables_table[self.name].subkernel.args
                      if isinstance(a, lp.ArrayArg))
+
+    @cached_property
+    def num_flops(self):
+        """Compute the numbers of FLOPs if not already known
+           using Loo.py's FLOP counting algorithm."""
+        if self.flop_count is not None:
+            return self.flop_count
+        else:
+            assert isinstance(self.code, lp.TranslationUnit), "LocalLoopyKernels code should be a translation unit."
+            # in order to silence the warnings we need to access
+            # the callable kernels in the translation unit
+            prog = self.code.with_entrypoints(self.name)
+            knl = prog.default_entrypoint
+            warnings = list(knl.silenced_warnings)
+            warnings.extend(['insn_count_subgroups_upper_bound',
+                             'get_x_map_guessing_subgroup_size',
+                             'summing_if_branches_ops'])
+            knl = knl.copy(silenced_warnings=warnings)
+            # for extrusion utils the layer arg must be fixed
+            # because usually it would be a value which is passed in from the global kernel
+            # theoretically this changes the result but not the FLOP count
+            knl = lp.fix_parameters(knl, layer=1)
+            prog = prog.with_kernel(knl)
+            op_map = lp.get_op_map(prog, subgroup_size=1)
+            return op_map.filter_by(name=['add', 'sub', 'mul', 'div'],
+                                    dtype=[ScalarType]).eval_and_sum({})
diff --git a/pyop2/parloop.py b/pyop2/parloop.py
index 8384268cf..3990ad242 100644
--- a/pyop2/parloop.py
+++ b/pyop2/parloop.py
@@ -188,7 +188,8 @@ def _compute(self, part):
         :arg part: The :class:`SetPartition` to compute over.
         """
         with self._compute_event():
-            PETSc.Log.logFlops(part.size*self.num_flops)
+            if configuration["compute_kernel_flops"]:
+                PETSc.Log.logFlops(part.size*self.num_flops)
             self.global_kernel(self.comm, part.offset, part.offset+part.size, *self.arglist)
 
     @cached_property