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Message
Gas vs Electric Water Heater, HVAC
Posted on 9/4/19 at 10:47 am
Posted on 9/4/19 at 10:47 am
Building a new house. 2250 sqft. Wife and 2 girls who will be teenagers in the coming decade, so I am considering 2 conventional tank 50gal water heaters vs. 1. Tankless is not an option due to several constraints not worth getting in to (so please dont suggest and bring up the merits, I am well aware).
I know we have cheap natural gas being it is South LA. From a long term cost standpoint, what is the board's opinion on gas vs electric conventional tank water heaters? Same with HVAC...was looking at 14seer 5ton gas. Are there long term cost saving to be had or should I keep it simple and roll with electric all the way? Is gas or electric more hassle free over decades?
Was also thinking gas WH would provide added benefit of hot water in power outages. Gas HVAC has electric thermostat and components that would render it out of action in power outage.
I know we have cheap natural gas being it is South LA. From a long term cost standpoint, what is the board's opinion on gas vs electric conventional tank water heaters? Same with HVAC...was looking at 14seer 5ton gas. Are there long term cost saving to be had or should I keep it simple and roll with electric all the way? Is gas or electric more hassle free over decades?
Was also thinking gas WH would provide added benefit of hot water in power outages. Gas HVAC has electric thermostat and components that would render it out of action in power outage.
5
Posted on 9/4/19 at 10:58 am to man in the stadium
I have 2 fifty gallon units in the attic, one in the front to service two bed/ baths, one in rear of house for the master, laundry, kitchen. As each is above their "need" areas, its a short wait for hot water.
I have always found natural gas HVAC to deliver warmer air than electric, and less expensive to operate.
Same with cloths dryer. The gas can heat more and less expensive to operate.
I have always found natural gas HVAC to deliver warmer air than electric, and less expensive to operate.
Same with cloths dryer. The gas can heat more and less expensive to operate.
Posted on 9/4/19 at 11:12 am to man in the stadium
quote:
Was also thinking gas WH would provide added benefit of hot water in power outages. Gas HVAC has electric thermostat and components that would render it out of action in power outage.
Absolutely 100% this. You will always have hot water during power outages and ditto for a gas stove/cooktop and oven- you will always have hot food or hot coffee during hurricane power outages. My HVAC furnace is also natural gas which is clean, efficient and reliable, but we don’t have multiple day power outages from hurricanes in winter in LA.
My parents had natural gas when I was a kid, I insured myself of this as an adult, and never in my life have I’ve ever been without hot water or hot food during hurricane power outages. The cost to retrofit to natural gas after the fact is expensive.
Strongly encourage you to go natural gas. I have friends that are all electric and they curse the day they don’t have natural gas during power outages. P.S. if down the road you want to install a whole house generator, you want it to run on natural gas, and I’d even stub out for that purpose if possible when house is being built - added cost would be minimal.
Posted on 9/4/19 at 11:16 am to man in the stadium
I'm also building at the moment. The guy who drew my home, along with many, many friends and family, advised me to have gas in any place that I can have it. Dryer, range, water heaters...I even dropped a bibb outside to boil crawfish with using the bayou boiler. I've been told gas is more efficient and more cost effective.
However, when it comes to the furnace, my AC buddy who has been doing HVAC work for 30 years recommended an air to air heat pump with electric backup...
However, when it comes to the furnace, my AC buddy who has been doing HVAC work for 30 years recommended an air to air heat pump with electric backup...
Posted on 9/4/19 at 12:41 pm to CORIMA
quote:
Same with cloths dryer. The gas can heat more and less expensive to operate.
Just started using a gas dryer this week and holy crap I find this amazing. Always had an electric dryer up to this point. Save 15 minutes or so per load.
quote:
Tankless is not an option due to several constraints not worth getting in to
I want to know the constraints now
Posted on 9/5/19 at 9:34 am to man in the stadium
quote:
I know we have cheap natural gas being it is South LA. From a long term cost standpoint, what is the board's opinion on gas vs electric conventional tank water heaters? Same with HVAC...was looking at 14seer 5ton gas. Are there long term cost saving to be had or should I keep it simple and roll with electric all the way? Is gas or electric more hassle free over decades?
Water Heater:
- Gas will heat up faster and can keep up with small loads, electric cannot. If you replace the anode rods as required by the manufacturer, a gas water heater will last practically forever.
- Gas operating costs will be significantly lower than electrical until gas shoots up in price about 400-500% depending on your electric rates.
HVAC:
- Cooling will be electric regardless. I'm sure you understood this but just covering it again.
- Heating - Gas vs electric heat gets complicated. If you live down south, heat pumps are usually cheaper to run than a gas furnace. The flip side is heat pumps don't last as long as an AC/gas furnace setup. Gas provides a warmer, more comfortable air supply in the house in cold weather (below 40F) where heat pump won't be as warm with regards to supply air temps.
If you get long stretches of <40F temperatures, gas is hard to beat. You can still do a heat pump with gas furnace and get the best of both worlds.
Posted on 9/6/19 at 9:16 am to man in the stadium
Gas gets hotter and is cheaper, all you need to know.
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