Why are so many homes in La. all-electric? (Lafayette, Reserve: house, buying)

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by bpollen

Why do you think so many homes are all-electric? Is it that there's something wrong with the ground that makes running gas lines dangerous? Or is it a cost-saving measure?

Logically, I would think it would depend on the temperature. While natural gas can be used to heat water, run clothes dryers, and for cooking the real cost advantage is in home heating. Natural gas air conditioners exist, but they are relatively rare.

Since Louisana is so warm, it doesn't make sense to build the infrastructure for natural gas to homes.

There is also the universal issue that electric systems are the cheapest and easiest ones to install and maintain. But even given that fact, you would not try and heat a home in Maine with electric. Nobody would purchase or rent such a home.

[rgathrights]

Originally Posted by Chance and Change

...
We should learn from other nations, China today is building toward the future, a great many Asian Pacific Nations are building innovative things, even in the Arab Penusila, they have embared on massive projects that rival anything in the world.
....
We are no longer the high spirited "let's get it done people", we are now a society where greed and graft and looting and hoarding in the executive suites and political administration has been allowed, their deceptive nature and manner and their assaulting acts has freightened and weakened the will and spirit of the people.

...

America should start acting like China now?

You want America to follow China's lead and reduce wages in favor of increased taxation to support these grand building ventures?

America can act like the Arab Peninsula by drilling for more oil off the restricted coast of California and the highly protested East Atlantic coast to pay for these grand building ventures too.

You can't have Luxury A without conceding a point on social or environmental values.

In the end, Louisiana is the experiencing an economic boom of wages and development while the rest of the nation is in the unemployment line. At the center of it all, Lake Charles is in the midst of sharp growing pains because our state allows oil refining and drilling projects that many other states flatly deny.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by rgathrights

Ground in Lake Charles is often wet. Steel gas lines were often seen as a poor option for running gas lines due to their tendency to rust and high cost of coating them to prevent breaks. Modern gas lines have better tolerance for wet conditions but I have yet to see any announcements for new runs in Lake Charles.

Homes South of I-210 in Lake Charles down to Gauthier RD and east to Common Street mostly have gas lines. This area includes Nelson Road and Country Club road which have many subdivisions to look in for a new home.

Unfortunately, most of the homes in my price range south of I0-210 are all electric. It is the OLDER area north of I-210 and eastward that have gas. That area is a high crime, low income area, now.

It looks like gas lines used to be used, but that stopped in the 1960s, except for high priced homes.

My price range is mid-200s. When I look at houses over $280k and upwards....most of those have gas to the house. So I think it was a cost cutting measure.

There are spots with gas. My brother lives in a subdivision around McNeese/Sale/Lake that has gas. But the home I grew up in a few blocks north of there off Lake....the subdivision is all electric. That subdiv. was built in the 1960s. Not sure of when my brother's subdiv. was built. He lives in a flood zone, so the wet ground was no impediment to gas lines, apparently.

I've been looking for a map to identify distribution gas lines to subdivisions, so I could see if any certain house would have access to gas, so at least I'd have option to tie into the main line. But I haven't found any maps showing distribution lines. Just the main lines.

[victimofGM]

Rural homes can have a propane tank installed and maintained by a local gas company.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by PacoMartin

Logically, I would think it would depend on the temperature. While natural gas can be used to heat water, run clothes dryers, and for cooking the real cost advantage is in home heating. Natural gas air conditioners exist, but they are relatively rare.

Since Louisana is so warm, it doesn't make sense to build the infrastructure for natural gas to homes.

There is also the universal issue that electric systems are the cheapest and easiest ones to install and maintain. But even given that fact, you would not try and heat a home in Maine with electric. Nobody would purchase or rent such a home.

Electric units are more expensive than gas ones. The cost of electricity is higher than gas. All good cooks that I know and have heard of cook with gas.

It seems to me that gas is for the benefit of the consumer. Making a home all electric is for the benefit of the developer.

The city should possibly have required gas lines to all subdivisions. I suspect that other cities that have gas are abiding by regulations, since they have the same cost concerns.

As far as purchasing all-electric homes, the people in the area should not have allowed it. But they did. NOW, if you want to buy a house there, you have almost no choice. You either buy all-electric, or you don't buy a house. Or you can pay to tie in to the nearest main gas line, if there's one in the area. Good luck with finding that info out ahead of time. So far, all I can determine is you have to call the gas co. about a specific address and ask where the gas lines are. Not practical when shopping listings for a house.

There is a builder there, Manuel Builders. He builds in various cities in Louisiana. He does all his homes in all subdivisions all-electric.

The houses in La. aren't cheap, either. I saw Lafayette listed in an article where the homes are some of hte most overpriced in the nation right now. You wouldn't believe the houses in the Lake Charles area. To get the same quality and nice house you can get in Houston or Dallas, you'd have to spend about $30k more in Lake Charles. But you get larger yards. And no gas to the house.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by victimofGM

Rural homes can have a propane tank installed and maintained by a local gas company.

I know. For a gas stove. Not heating and hot water tank and such. You need a gas line to the house for all that.

But for just one thing, like a stove, you can do propane, agent was telling me. BUT...the stove has to be located where a line can be run thru the walls and outside. And propane tank has to be in location accessible by the servicing trucks. And you need a special stove that works with propane, not natural gas. All in all, a pricey proposition. Still, it's an option, if someone is determined to have a gas stove. But you'll still be paying higher bills for an electric hot water tank, electric dryer, and electric heat.

[prospectheightsresident]

Originally Posted by Chance and Change

Louisiana needs a campaign to " Bury all the Electric Wires"- why do we insist on telephone pole, which are from an era long gone. Yet we get tornado's, hurricanes and all in-between, and still we have all these telephone poles with 300-500 lb transformers hanging on them, and in many areas the poles are leaning, some dry rotted and every time the wind blows, we have thousands of people with no power. We pay enough for power the company can afford to bury these cables. Stop paying the criminal executives a kings ransom and then there's monies to fix the problems.

Sadly, the threat of hurricanes/high winds notwithstanding, Louisiana can't afford to put its electric wires underground. And, in some instances (areas prone to flooding/areas having poor soil quality), I'd imagine that doing so wouldn't be very practical.

At the very least, at least the power lines keep the rats off the street Uptown (seriously, I thought I was seeing only squirrels, but rats run across those lines as well due to the heavy cat presence in the area!).

[Gunluvver2]

Gas is great for heating but is it really more efficient for cooling? Isn't the demand for cooling greater in LA than the need for heating? That might be part of it.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

Gas is great for heating but is it really more efficient for cooling? Isn't the demand for cooling greater in LA than the need for heating? That might be part of it.

The norm for housing in the south is electric central system for cooling, gas central heating, gas stove, gas water heater.

Having an electric water heater uses a LOT of power. More than electric heat. Consider that the hot water heater runs 365 days a year and runs a lot to keep the temp of the water constant.

[bpollen]

Originally Posted by Gunluvver2

Gas is great for heating but is it really more efficient for cooling? Isn't the demand for cooling greater in LA than the need for heating? That might be part of it.

No, gas isn't used for cooling. It's for heating. Hot water tank, heating in winter, cooking. Most houses have both electrical and gas lines, except for a fad that started in the 1960s and lasted through the 70s (the "new modern house" with all electric!). But then the houses reverted back to the norm of both electric and gas.

I do think it's a cost issue for the developers. If they can make everything in the house run by running only one power source, like electric, then that's what they do. It saves money. I noticed in the more expensive houses in the areas I've looked in, they usually have gas.

I guess most people don't care about that. I thought everyone cared about utility bills and having a gas stove (if they cook), etc. An electric hot water heater uses a lot of power because it runs off and on all 365 days a year. But I guess each of us has different things we want in a house. I probably don't care about some things that other people want in a house.