No gas ranges in Phoenix? (Mesa: how much, house, heat pump)

[jnojr]

Browsing through listings, I see lots and lots of electric, but don't think I've seen any gas. Is that a thing? Are all the dryers electric, too? We'll really want gas, and will be willing to pay to put it in if we have to.

[DetroitN8V]

Not all areas have gas service, so in some cases it’s not an option at all. I have gas service (furnace, dryer, fireplace) but the geniuses that built the house didn’t run it to the kitchen. It would have been a huge job to run it for the range so I opted for a higher end induction range and it’s been a pretty good compromise. You can certainly find gas ranges in certain areas though.

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Not all areas have gas service, so in some cases it’s not an option at all. I have gas service (furnace, dryer, fireplace) but the geniuses that built the house didn’t run it to the kitchen. It would have been a huge job to run it for the range so I opted for a higher end induction range and it’s been a pretty good compromise. You can certainly find gas ranges in certain areas though.

Wow, that's a bit of a bummer. Is there any resource that will help me figure out which areas have gas service? If I were to tell a realtor that I only want to look at homes with gas, how much would that limit us?

[Hiruko]

Honestly, you should go for induction ranges anyway. There is a growing consensus that it is better technology than either gas or traditional electric.

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

Honestly, you should go for induction ranges anyway. There is a growing consensus that it is better technology than either gas or traditional electric.

But for the cooktop, we really want gas.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by jnojr

Wow, that's a bit of a bummer. Is there any resource that will help me figure out which areas have gas service? If I were to tell a realtor that I only want to look at homes with gas, how much would that limit us?

It’s hit or miss. As far as I know, Southwest Gas is the only provider, so you may want to contact them. After working with induction, it’s almost preferable to gas, so I can think of many other criteria that would take priority over a gas range, but that’s just my opinion.

[lvmensch]

This is typical in the SW. Basically where areas developed initially as low density scattered housing they did not get gas. The gas companies simply do not run gas mains to service low density housing areas. And in the SW it is of lesser import. There is not the drive for heating the homes that exists in colder climates.

You can of course achieve gas usage by installing LPG. It is however generally as expensive as electric.

Where we live in suburban Las Vegas there is now gas in the street. But the cost of bringing it in is very big...over $10,000 before we get to the on property cost. So it is done only for new construction.

[wase4711]

we have gas cook top/hot water heater/dryer; electric heat pump though

and, as others have said, for cooktops, induction is a ton better than gas, just takes some time to adjust

contact SW gas when you find a house you like, and they can tell you if there is gas in that house

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by jnojr

Wow, that's a bit of a bummer. Is there any resource that will help me figure out which areas have gas service? If I were to tell a realtor that I only want to look at homes with gas, how much would that limit us?

It will limit you tremendously. Unless you (and your realtor) enjoy experiencing utter frustration, drop this as a requirement.

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

It’s hit or miss. As far as I know, Southwest Gas is the only provider, so you may want to contact them. After working with induction, it’s almost preferable to gas, so I can think of many other criteria that would take priority over a gas range, but that’s just my opinion.

But that doesn't mean the homes in areas serviced by SW Gas actually HAVE gas. We live in far eat Mesa, in a community that offered gas when the home were built. The homes were roughly 5-7 years old, all had been offered gas when built by the tract builder. Very few opted for it which surprised me. Reasons included "it cost more when the house was built" and more frequently "I'm used to electric." Our home was one of those with electric stove top, but had gas running in the backyard for the gas grill. The gas line was right along the wall where the stove was located, so we got a couple of estimates to run it to the stove. That idea was dropped when the estimates were over $3,000 PLUS the cost of the new stove.

That said, we did put gas in the kitchen when we built our current home in Raleigh. I don't think the builder charged more for it. And I admit, I love the thing and would be unhappy to go back to electric. And would quickly switch it out for induction.

If we wanted gas for our dryer, there was an additional cost. Obviously, we have an electric dryer.

[asufan]

Originally Posted by jnojr

But for the cooktop, we really want gas.

Just tell your realtor that's one of your requirements. For some reason it really became popular here in the early 2000's, so many newer built homes have gas service. In my experience the only that I've seen built since 2005 which do not have gas are some lower end housing product (starter type homes). If you're looking in an area with 90's and prior built homes, it may be only electric.