Gas Heat or Electric Heat? Which is more economical?

[TampaGirl99]

Vermonter,
do you mind if I ask what your square footage is? thanks for sharing.

TampaGirl

[djmont]

Originally Posted by TampaGirl99

Wow. ICS67 and DJMont. ICS67, your bill is twice that of DJMont, but you both have the same square footage. That is significant for the use of gas heat. DJMont, is it possible you have a different utility company than ICS? What company do you use?

We have Dominion Virginia Power. During the summer I keep the thermostat set at 73 round the clock. (I work from home.) During the winter it varies a little more, but we usually keep it around 70 or 71.

I went back to check, though, and the figure I quoted was actually a little low. The figure of $125/month (averaged over the course of the year) was accurate as of a couple years ago. But it's been higher more recently.

Our total electric bill for the past 12 months has averaged $145.60/month.

[South Jersey Styx]

We have natural gas but the delivery system is radiant heat (radiators) instead of "forced air" (vents). We had the forced air systems in our (new) house in NoVA. But our house in Winchester is old/historic with the radiators.

Frankly, I like the radiators. The heat seems to "stay" longer vs the forced air. Our bills were about $300-$400 (2500 sq ft). This wouldn't be an accurate assessment though as we have insulation issues and old (drafty) windows to deal with (yes, I am working on that now).

Our electric bill, at its height was $100-$120 mo in the summer--and that was this past summer with the horrid heat. That A/C was blasting non-stop so I was surprised that this bill wasn't higher.

BTW, search or post on the "House" Forum: you'll get alot of responses with the different types of heating systems.

[statecollege]

Originally Posted by CaliTerp07

Last February when we were home for a week straight in the snow storm, our gas bill was $100, electric was $66 (increased lights and tv from being stuck at home!)

I have gas heat and electric ac. I've noticed the same secondary peak electric bills in Dec and Jan regardless of historic snowstorms. I finally concluded why: Less daylight means more lights, as does the holiday displays, and more indoor electric range cooking. I'm amazed how much impact this can have compared to running ac in the summer. I've lived in homes with electric heat and gas heat in NoVA, and while it's difficult to make 1:1 comparisons, I judge that electric heat (not heat pump) is more expensive.

[djplourd]

I live in a 2000 sq ft Townhouse in Lorton -- three adults, Washington Gas and Dominion Power. We have gas heat and cooktop, elctric everything else. My average electric bill over the last year is $106.27 with a high of $207.37 in August and a low of $68.78 in November. Gas averaged $54.87 with a February high of $143.24 and a September low of $24.03.

Electric Gas
Nov $ 68.78 Nov $ 34.78
Oct $ 98.42 Oct $ 26.24
Sep $ 146.36 Sep $ 24.03
Aug $ 207.37 Aug $ 29.71
Jul $ 154.39 Jul $ 32.60
Jun $ 92.21 Jun $ 29.30
May $ 81.15 May $ 33.27
Apr $ 72.53 Apr $ 39.63
Mar $ 79.25 Mar $ 69.16
Feb $ 83.41 Feb $ 143.24
Jan $ 98.64 Jan $ 126.87
Dec $ 92.68 Dec $ 69.55
avg $ 106.27 avg $ 54.87

[TampaGirl99]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply. All of the info is very helpful to me and I am sure to others.

Happy Holidays!

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by statecollege

I have gas heat and electric ac. I've noticed the same secondary peak electric bills in Dec and Jan regardless of historic snowstorms. I finally concluded why: Less daylight means more lights, as does the holiday displays, and more indoor electric range cooking. I'm amazed how much impact this can have compared to running ac in the summer.

This is a good point statecollege. The one thing I'd like to add are dryers. I heard that they are big electric-hogs.

[bjm243]

Good post! We are looking at a SFH in Herndon that does not have a natural gas line. It is a 4 bedroom home with a finished basement (maybe around 2000 sq ft). I have always had gas heat and I am a person who generally likes it warmer than most in my home. My Realtor said that during this past (cold) winter we had in NOVA that we would have probably been using the wood fireplace a lot.

Will I notice a difference or is this something you get used to over time? Is it a smart investment to have a gas line installed if there is a main line in the neighborhood (I imagine that is more difficult than I am imagining)? Any input?

[lqda4]

Don't forget to take into account how tolerant you are in terms of temp/comfort. The new owner of my old house complained about high utility cost (he is a first time home owner). We later realized that he sets the heat this past winter at 75F! (way too hot for me).

[airjay75]

Our house is all electric. Heating and a/c is provided by a heat pump. Auxiliary heat on the heat pump is basically electric coils. I like the temperature of my house right around 70 degrees almost year round. I've been more than comfortable in both the summer and winter. When the heat pump runs in the winter, the temperature of the air that comes from the vents is not as high as what you would get with natural gas heating, but it does just a fine job keeping the temperature of the house steady. I had no experience with a heat pump before buying this house and read things from some people who made me hesitant about having a heat pump for heating. I have found the complaints to be overblown. I do think natural gas heating, if I had a gas line, would be cheaper, but I think it would take me a long time to recoup the cost of having a gas line installed. By then, who knows whether natural gas will still be cheaper than electricity.