Having all electric: more pros or cons? (Dallas, McKinney: appliances, buying a home)

[storygal]

We are looking at buying a home in McKinney that has all electric for both heat/AC AND water.
I can see no pros of this... and maybes hindrance later. (since we moved to McKinney, we've had so many power outtages!)
Is there some pros I am missing for having it all electric?

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by storygal

We are looking at buying a home in McKinney that has all electric for both heat/AC AND water.
I can see no pros of this... and maybes hindrance later. (since we moved to McKinney, we've had so many power outtages!)
Is there some pros I am missing for having it all electric?

Pro: You won't have to worry about gas leaks.

Cons:

• Your electric bills will be sky-high year-round.
• No gas stove.
• No hot water if the power goes out.
• No gas fireplace.
• No gas dryer.
• No gas oven.

Personally, a house not having gas service is an absolute deal-breaker.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

Pro: You won't have to worry about gas leaks.

Cons:

• Your electric bills will be sky-high year-round.
• No gas stove.
• No hot water if the power goes out.
• No gas fireplace.
• No gas dryer.
• No gas oven.

Personally, a house not having gas service is an absolute deal-breaker.

This pretty much nails it. I had an electric stove for one year in college and despised that thing!!

But electric water heaters are the absolute devil. We bought a new (old) home last year that for some bizarre reason was a gas home with an electric water heater. After getting two electricity bills for over $500, we replaced them with gas heaters. Our electric bill cut in half and our gas bill went up like $10/month or something negligible.

OP, I would skip this house and solely focus on gas homes from here on out.

[storygal]

Ah...I was hoping for different answers. Thanks for the reality check.
I don't know why anyone would build it this way?

Oh, there IS gas just to the fireplace, I found out. But electric everywhere else. Anyone know how prohibitive it would be to change things out... just for the kitchen and water heater?

Thanks for you input!

[ChristieP]

If there is gas run to the stove and water heater, but it is capped off, then it's easy for a plumber to connect it to a stove and water heater. But if it isn't already plumbed for gas, well, it can be $$$$...

[mikestrong]

Gas saves so much on water and heat during winter.

[storygal]

Thank you. You just made 'all electric house' go on our 'deal breaker' list.

[pharpe]

Originally Posted by storygal

I don't know why anyone would build it this way?

The only reason is because it's cheaper and a lot people quite frankly are not very smart. Their builder ask if they want gas or electric appliances. They ask which cost less and go with that. As long as it looks nice on the exterior who cares how it works right?

[storygal]

Originally Posted by pharpe

The only reason is because it's cheaper and a lot people quite frankly are not very smart. Their builder ask if they want gas or electric appliances. They ask which cost less and go with that. As long as it looks nice on the exterior who cares how it works right?

Ah. Good to know. Thx.

[NAvery815]

I'll be a voice of dissent. I'm a northern transplant, so I am totally used to having gas. It was bizarre to me that there were some houses that don't have gas down here. When I called to set up gas service, the nice lady at the company was like, "Hon, you must live in an all electric house."

We have lived in 2 all electric houses since moving here. When we bought, we wanted something a bit further out, and many of those neighborhoods don't have gas (in our price range) because it is pricey for the developer to run the lines.

Our electric bills haven't been that bad. Now, if you're going from gas to electric in winter, then I'm sure you see an increase. But for us, We really had no reference point, so we aren't bothered and it has been affordable, even with the cold winter where we had emergency heat on a lot. Our inspector was a very big proponent of an electric heat pump in the Dallas area.

That said, if I was buying a 500k+ house, not having gas would be a deal breaker for me, if it wasn't a rural home. But we were looking for vaguely rural plus under 250k, and there just weren't a ton of those with gas service. I don't regret going all electric, it hasn't been a problem. In the past, I have preferred cooking on gas, but as long as you have a high quality electric stove, you adjust very quickly.