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Modern gas appliances don't have standing pilots. They are electronic ignition on demand to conserve gas. In the event of a power outage they can typically be lit manually. Personally, I'd pick gas all day long. It's safe, cheap and reliable. Especially, a gas range is SO much better for cooking than electric.
While you are correct that gas is safe, realistically it is the least safe of the options discussed here. A gas range is only better for cooking if that is what the cook is used to and prefers.
More home fires are caused by electricity than by natural gas and by a very wide margin. Natural gas is an extremely safe option. The system controls available in the modern age make the distribution and usage of natural gas a virtually idiot proof. CO is clearly the biggest concern with it, but this hazard is also an extremely rare occurrence. Get a couple of CO detectors and you're covered.
A gas range is much easier to control heat with as there is little thermal mass associated with the burner. An electric range's heating element usually takes about 5-10 seconds to release its latent heat.
Gas is always more efficient than electricity when producing heat. Some try to claim otherwise, but it just isn't true.
i much prefer gas after living in 2 homes over the last 15 years that were all electric. much cheaper here to heat with NG than electric, and now we have gas heat/stove/water heater. hot water recovers a lot faster, this is awesome in a house with a teenage daughter that never considers the other 3 members of the household before getting an hour long shower. the stove works great during power outages(some newer gas stoves won't so take that for what it may be). the gas heat "feels" warmer quicker.
one thing I read above said about insulating the WH, I would never do this with a gas WH. too much risk of fire. plus it can still lose plenty of heat up the flue so why bother. insulate the hot pipes for sure, but I've never heard of anyone insulating a gas tank.
i much prefer gas after living in 2 homes over the last 15 years that were all electric. much cheaper here to heat with NG than electric, and now we have gas heat/stove/water heater. hot water recovers a lot faster, this is awesome in a house with a teenage daughter that never considers the other 3 members of the household before getting an hour long shower. the stove works great during power outages(some newer gas stoves won't so take that for what it may be). the gas heat "feels" warmer quicker.
one thing I read above said about insulating the WH, I would never do this with a gas WH. too much risk of fire. plus it can still lose plenty of heat up the flue so why bother. insulate the hot pipes for sure, but I've never heard of anyone insulating a gas tank.
Right, gotcha. The pipes is what was recommended by the other poster. Makes sense. I still don't like the idea of it heating water 24hr/day, especially now since I'm not moving in until April. I hate waste, a lot.
I do feel kinda good about having gas after reading the replies, electric heat is getting no love, so thanks to all; I've had it before like I said but I had husband and kids then and just different circumstances as far as cost/usage/fear (since the hubby handled that stuff).
I ripped up carpet yesterday, all day. What I discovered underneath would curl your hair. So gross.
(not relevant to the thread obvi, just sayin)
Right, gotcha. The pipes is what was recommended by the other poster. Makes sense. I still don't like the idea of it heating water 24hr/day, especially now since I'm not moving in until April. I hate waste, a lot.
I do feel kinda good about having gas after reading the replies, electric heat is getting no love, so thanks to all; I've had it before like I said but I had husband and kids then and just different circumstances as far as cost/usage/fear (since the hubby handled that stuff).
I ripped up carpet yesterday, all day. What I discovered underneath would curl your hair. So gross.
(not relevant to the thread obvi, just sayin)
Electric is usually much more expensive, but if it snows too much I know I had situations where NIPSCO just did random estimates that were outrageous and way off. I had a 750sqft apartment that was all gas (water heater/stove/forced air heat) and they tried to charge me $250 when it was only about $120.
I agree with the other posters that gas stoves are better than electric, with the exception of induction. I LOVE induction, but they are expensive.
More home fires are caused by electricity than by natural gas and by a very wide margin
False sense of security, there are more electric-only homes than homes with both. There are also a *LOT* more electric appliances, by a Massive margin. Of COURSE there are more fires caused by electric appliances.
Gas is always more efficient than electricity when producing heat. Some try to claim otherwise, but it just isn't true.
Efficiency is based on how many BTU's is in the fuel and how much is utilized. With gas heat some of that heat escapes out of the chimney so it may only be 85% efficient (you'd have to check the rating on your boiler/furnace). With electric all the heat is utilized so it's 100% efficient.... however the cost per BTU is much higher, on average about 3 times more so the efficiency is only small factor in the cost.
As far as ranges go I believe electric is more efficient there and most certainly for an induction stove. Same thing applies here, the higher cost per BTU will make the gas cheaper despite the lower efficiency.
Heat pumps are special case since the fuel is the "air", their efficiency depends on the unit itself and more importantly the air temperatures. It's variable and during mild weather they may produce 280% of the heat from regular electric. As the temperature drops so doe the amount of heat until they hit a point they will make less in which case you switch to auxiliary heat.
I have a calculator here you can plug in local rates and it will account for efficiency if you know it.
While you are correct that gas is safe, realistically it is the least safe of the options discussed here. A gas range is only better for cooking if that is what the cook is used to and prefers.
If you were looking for the safest form of heat I would offer the opinion coal is the safest. It doesn't explode, it does not leak, does not cause chimney fires and if your house burns down you'll find your pile of coal in the rubble. The biggest safety issue with coal is CO which is an issue with anything that burns something. It's of particular concern with coal because fly ash will accumulate in the flue pipe and could block it if left unchecked, normal maintenance usually once a year is all that is required to prevent this problem.
As far as the gas vs. electric range most people that have used both are going to choose gas. It's instantly on of off. I've used electric most of my life but just purchased a gas stove for kitchen renovation. I can't wait to have installed.
Depends. Forced air systems, gas is best for heat. When an electric heat strip turns on the furnace is blowing cold air until the element gets hot and the air from this somehow feels drier. Gas water heater seems to have more hot water available for the same tank size. For cooking, gas is best. One advantage of gas stove is you can use a fireplace match to light the gas flame when the electricity is out. What works best for heat will vary based upon your regional climate and type of home. Where I live the more energy efficient option is heat pump with electric strips (electric strips turn on when it’s too cold outside to generate enough heat to heat the home). But some homes locally are drafty and so heat pump systems aren’t enough. Natural gas or pure electric is enough to heat these homes.
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