Gas vs Electric...Your preference?

[two-bit cowboy]

Gas above electric for cooking and heating, but I've had two places with wood cook and heat stoves.

Cooking on the wood stoves was the absolute best -- once I taught myself how to regulate the fire (right amount of wood, and fine tuning the inlet air and the damper). Fabulous.

I still heat with wood, but I've taken a step back (or forward) in life and now have an electric cook stove.

Most of my serious cooking gets done on my Traeger smoker.

 

[NYlakesider]

We have a propane stove, water heater is propane for heat and electricity to run the exhaust fan, forced hot air furnace is propane with electricity to run the controls and blower motor, clothes drier is propane for heat and electricity to turn the drum.

We live rural and natural gas is not a option. I'm a retired pipefitter and gas does not give me a case of the vapors.

We have a propane whole house stand by generator so I have electric. We can loose power up here from hours to days to weeks. It seems like the worst the weather the more the generator is needed!

To save gas if its a long duration problem like a ice storm that knocks out miles of electric service we can do a lot of cooking with the microwave or the outside propane grill that normally has two tanks that we can hook up if needed

Even most of my electrician friends have gas for most of their appliances for the simple fact its much cheaper to run! Sure baseboard electric heat is cheap to install, but you pay through the nose when you use it.

 

[mtgianni]

I was a natural gas serviceman from 1980 until 2006 when I transferred to measurement. As a measurement tech I also relit a lot of commercial kitchens. I don'e remember seeing more than 1% of commercial kitchens with electric grills, griddles, or fryers. Maybe 15% electric ovens.
Gas is heating when it is on and not when it is off. You can turn your burner down and watch what it is doing. I hate to cook on electric.
Many homes are not piped for gas and many don't have the house piping large enough to add a stove. That is a significant install cost if yours isn't.
Most of the new stoves want electricity to run, but as was mentioned the tops light with a match or lighter. The controls are in front with gas, you're not going to light a sleeve on fire or get hot steam reaching for a knob. Cost of electric is at least double gas in most markets, mine is double the cost of propane. It is a rare occasion that residences use $8 a month in cooking.
Electric stoves clean up easier if that's important.
In 40 years in the gas business I worked 5 explosions. One was meth, one was caused deliberately, two were dig ins and one was pipe failure. I worked a ton of Carbon Monoxide calls, most were bad detectors. I ran 4 top burners and the oven on most stoves and could not get 10 parts per million CO within 6 feet of them. [Osha says you cannot work in an atmosphere of over 35 ppm averaged in an 8 hour work day]. Most carbon comes from flames on cold iron so the longer it runs the less it produces. The utilities I worked averaged about 2 explosions every 3 years. One had its system piped in the 1920's the other in the 1950's.

 

[LCC]

Advantage of gas is many. We lost electric power for a week after a major storm, gas was still good to go. With a gas water heater and standing pilot (not electronic ignition), hot water will always be there. Same with gas fireplaces, a standing pilot with a manual override for flame control will provide heat even when the blower isn't powered. And of course having a gas range will keep you fed when an electric one won't.
We've had two different mountain houses, first used propane, the one we're in now on natural gas. The first much more expensive than the second, both worked fine.

 

[LCC]

Advantage of gas is many. We lost electric power for a week after a major storm, gas was still good to go. With a gas water heater and standing pilot (not electronic ignition), hot water will always be there. Same with gas fireplaces, a standing pilot with a manual override for flame control will provide heat even when the blower isn't powered. And of course having a gas range will keep you fed when an electric one won't.
We've had two different mountain houses, first used propane, the one we're in now on natural gas. The first 3x the operational cost than the second, both worked fine.
Huge fan of natural gas.

 

[URIT]

I grew up with natural gas and kept that as my choice (I do most of the cooking) the first 25 years of marriage. The last 25 years we've opted for electric glass top ranges even though they do limit some cooking options.

 

[ladder13]

Never had a house blow up on me, nor any of my friends.

Most, the overwhelming majority, of the gas explosions I worked were due to contractor error or illegal hookups.

 

[16thVACav]

There's a reason for the old expression "Now you're cooking with gas".

 

[johngalt]

No matter the preferred type of fuel for creating heat, the one detail I will avoid at all cost is the the electronic touch controls. They are easier to clean since it is just a flat surface, but they are maddening to use. I'll never buy a stove that doesn't have the old style knobs.

 

[LVSteve]

From what I read here it seems the US has been slow to adopt the electric induction stoves. When I left the UK over 20 years ago they were vastly superior to the old curly ring hobs. I suspect the fickle US consumer objecting to something better being more expensive has a hand in the resistance.

We have a gas stove top but an electric fan oven. The latter is a wonderful piece of gear. It warms up quickly and cooks very evenly.

 

[dave1918a2]

Grew up with electric. Nothing but gas for Me. Love cooking for the neighbors when power goes out during storms.

 

[medezyner]

The only benefit to gas (for me) is heat control. I've had gas and learned how to live with electric. Plus the difference in cost buys a lot of ammo! If I wanted a daily supply of nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, I would definitely go with gas.

 

[coltle6920]

My sister lived up in the mountains here and I don't believe there were gas lines run in that area. Her house was all electric. Each room was heated separately or not at all. Utility bill was outrageous in the Winter so the wood stove was frequently used.

Had a home around the corner from me blow up right off the foundation from a faulty furnace. That was about 30yrs ago. Could it happen again? Sure but it's a rare occurrence at least around here.

My house is both gas (water heater and furnace) and electric. I could easily have a gas stove put in but it would be more of a want than a necessity.

 

[walkin jack]

I have used both all my life. I can use either without any problem but with gas, as has been stated, you have more precise control. With gas the heat is consistent. With electric the heat cuts off and goes on to maintain a set point.

The potential for a safety hazard is greater with gas. My first wife lost her eye brows and some hair and had 1st degree burns on her face when out gas oven blew out in her face. I haven't used gas for many years so I'm sure they have improved the safety features by now but back then you had to be very careful.

 

[coltle6920]

Cost seems to be an issue with some people here. Obviously utility rates vary from state to state so one can't argue what works for each of us.

Over time I believe natural gas is the cheaper alternative but it seems the rates for gas and electric seesaw every couple months. Maybe it's because of demand. The demand for electricity is higher in summer months and gas for heating when it's cold.

 

[coltle6920]

also electric all the way one utility bill and one tax.

Sounds odd. My gas and electric is provided by the same company so there's only one bill each month.

Just wondering...

 

[coltle6920]

Electric is safer; it never leaks and won't explode.

I won't argue which is safer but...

You can smell gas before it explodes.

If there's a electrical problem you won't know until you smell smoke or see flames.

 

[Rustyt1953]

No matter the preferred type of fuel for creating heat, the one detail I will avoid at all cost is the the electronic touch controls. They are easier to clean since it is just a flat surface, but they are maddening to use. I'll never buy a stove that doesn't have the old style knobs.

 

[coltle6920]

My current house is all electric, and I love it. Highest bill I had this year was $84.73 and that was in January.

But don't you folks put on a jacket when the temperature drops to the mid seventies?

 

[Old Arkansawyer]

Living in the country has some advantages, we moved into a place with
an electric cook stove, wife preferred to cook with gas. I went to the
local hardware store and bought about 20 feet of copper pipe and fittings
along with a 110 gal. propane tank from the propane gas co. Plumbed
in everything myself and bingo, gas cook stove. We also have a propane
furnace with a large tank and wood heat with a soap stone wood stove.
The cook stove has electric ignition which can be worked around by holding a lighter to the thermocouple until it allows gas to flow then light
with a match. Had to use that method back in 99 when an ice storm
knocked out power for a week.