Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

I just bought a house that has an electric oven. I prefer to use gas.
Is it cheaper to tap the gas line on my street or to install a propane
tank?

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

Sandra Loosemore wrote:
writes:


I just bought a house that has an electric oven. I prefer to use gas.
Is it cheaper to tap the gas line on my street or to install a propane
tank?


Kind of OT: As a general rule, try using what's there before you
change, whether it's an appliance, a tree in the front yard, or
whatever.

You might, after a few months, discover that this particular
electric oven is different, or better, or something. Or maybe
not, but why add one more hassle to the nightmare of moving, when
you could watch the sales and maybe find a great deal on just
what you want later on, when you could really enjoy having the
new oven?

Bonita

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

"Sandra Loosemore" wrote...

writes:

I just bought a house that has an electric oven. I prefer to use gas.
Is it cheaper to tap the gas line on my street or to install a propane
tank?

If there is a gas line on the street, never mind about the cost; think
of the long-term convenience of not having a tank in your yard, or
having to worry about refilling it. Also, contact your gas company,
since they often will connect you up for free or even run promotions
like giving you a free gas hot water heater. Of course they're
thinking long-term, too; they write off some short-term expenses in
exchange for getting a permanent customer at your address.

If the OP does decide to go with gas in the kitchen, be sure to also have
a gas line run to the furnace, water heater (and fireplace, if there is one)
for future upgrades.

Craig

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

Craig wrote:

If the OP does decide to go with gas in the kitchen, be sure to also have
a gas line run to the furnace, water heater (and fireplace, if there is one)
for future upgrades.

We have an oil tank in the basement so are you recommending me
abandoning oil altogether? I've never used an electric oven except once
in college and didn't find it very adequate. I also notice that it's
much more expensive to run an oven on electric than gas. Is that true?

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

wrote...

Craig wrote:

If the OP does decide to go with gas in the kitchen, be sure to also
have
a gas line run to the furnace, water heater (and fireplace, if there is
one)
for future upgrades.

We have an oil tank in the basement so are you recommending me
abandoning oil altogether?

Not necessarily. But if you're going to the expense of bringing in a
natural gas line to the house, the added costs of running lines to other
areas is small if done at the same time, I'd think. If the water heater is
electric now, I'd certainly swap to gas when the current one fails, if not
sooner. For the furnace, check with the utilities, installers or someone
else to compare operating costs of one vs. the other. If you have an open
fireplace, it could be losing more heat than it produces--while a sealed
fireplace insert (gas--or even wood pellets) can be as efficient as a
furnace. If you do bring a gas line to the kitchen and nowhere else, then
have to replace a water heater in two years, you'll kick yourself for not
having a gas line at the heater ready. I suppose this does depend to some
extent on the ease of venting a gas water heater.

But I really agree with another responder who said that you should really
try to live with the current electric stove now and not go to the expense
(and having your yard torn up with a trencher) of converting one small
appliance to gas. I've used both and although I also prefer a gas stove, I'd
live with an electric one if that's the way the house is set up. I did live
with an electric stove in a home for over a decade. Being a lazy sort, I'm
much more interested in seeing that my stove, whether gas or electric, is
self-cleaning than how it's powered!

Craig

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

wrote:

I've never used an electric oven except once
in college and didn't find it very adequate.

You won't find very many professional kitchens running electric ovens or ranges.
:)

I also notice that it's
much more expensive to run an oven on electric than gas. Is that true?

Gas and oil have been trading places recently in terms of which is cheaper to
run on an equivalent BTU basis. . It used to be that natural gas had a sight
discount to oil, but in the past few years, demand for gas has pushed the price
up over oil a bit.

Now, with crude closing in on $80/bbl gas may be cheaper again. Gas prices also
tend to be a little more stable than oil, but they do follow the same trend
lines.

Electricity has always been way more expensive than either of the other two.
This web site has a comparison down at the bottom of the relative differences in
cost.

http://www.webcom.com/~bi/fuelmonetaryvalues.html

Look at the cost per million BTUs column. What is really interesting is the cost
of wood pellets that some people are so enamored with...

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

On Sun, 16 Jul 2006 10:41:47 -0600, someone wrote:


Look at the cost per million BTUs column. What is really interesting is the cost
of wood pellets that some people are so enamored with...

I am having quite a chuckle over this. Lots of people acting very
smug over how much they were saving. And then the price of pellets
went up. Ya see folks, the pellets were only cheap as long as they
were not in demand. But now.....


Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

wrote...
I just bought a house that has an electric oven. I prefer to use gas.
Is it cheaper to tap the gas line on my street or to install a propane
tank?

Overall, natural gas will likely be cheaper than electricity for heating, hot
water, and stove/oven. However, MANY people prefer electric ovens because they
allegedly heat more evenly.

I MUCH prefer a gas stove, but I don't mind the electric oven in my house at
all.

If you have no gas service to your house at all, you'll have to factor in the
initial connection cost. After that, natural gas will be much cheaper,
efficient, and hotter than propane.

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

Clark W. Griswold, Jr. wrote:
wrote:

No one wants a propane tank around, unless it's absolutely necessary.

From an operating cost perspective, sure. If you are implying they (house size
propane tanks) aren't safe, there's no evidence of any problem that I'm aware
of.


No one wants a propane tank around when natural gas is available
because propane tanks are big, ugly, take up space and have to be
refilled. As for safety, they have all the safety issues of natural
gas, plus some of their own. Vehicles can and have caused major
explosions by driving into propane tanks. You can drive into a home
gas meter and cause a fire, but it's impossible to get an instantaneous
big explosion because there is no onsite large storage of flammable
gas.



Its kind of a moot point anyway, because you aren't likely to have a propane
tank if natural gas is available. The cost savings from using natural gas would
pay for the pipe to the street in no time.

Also, think resale time. A house without a propane tank is going to be
more attractive than one with it.

Again, a moot point. If you have to have propane, so will all your neighbors.
The choice isn't between propane and natural gas, its propane vs. all electric.
You'll have far more difficulty selling an all electric home.


Well, Duh! It isn't a moot point because whether to switch to natural
gas or propane was exactly the question the OP asked. Sure cost is
one factor, but it isn't the only factor. Also, no one can know for
certain which fuel will be cheaper in the future. Personally, I'd have
to be convinced propane was going to be significantly cheaper than
natural gas to justify the other drawbacks.

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

how much would it cost min/max to install a gas line from the street to
my house?


John Weiss wrote:
wrote...
I just bought a house that has an electric oven. I prefer to use gas.
Is it cheaper to tap the gas line on my street or to install a propane
tank?

Overall, natural gas will likely be cheaper than electricity for heating, hot
water, and stove/oven. However, MANY people prefer electric ovens because they
allegedly heat more evenly.

I MUCH prefer a gas stove, but I don't mind the electric oven in my house at
all.

If you have no gas service to your house at all, you'll have to factor in the
initial connection cost. After that, natural gas will be much cheaper,
efficient, and hotter than propane.

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

wrote...

how much would it cost min/max to install a gas line from the street to
my house?

The only way to find out is to call your gas company and ask. When gas
arrived in my neighborhood, it was $x/foot (and I've completely forgotten
the value of "x") but the gas company paid for the first "y" feet (and I've
forgotten the value of "y", too). My lot was quite deep so I think it cost
me several hundred bucks even with the gas company covering a majority of
the length--but my job involved trenching through a lot of solid limestone
and some hand work as the trench passed around
water/sewer/phone/electric/cable lines.

Craig

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

Electric ovens are said to be better but I prefer gas cooktops. My
house has a jennair electric range with glass cooktop /grill catridge
etc. I like the ceramic heating element on stovetop and so far the
oven bakes wonderfully. We will probably keep until it dies then get
get gas range

wrote:
With nat gas availabe at the street, that is the only way I'd go. No
one wants a propane tank around, unless it's absolutely necessary.
Also, think resale time. A house without a propane tank is going to be
more attractive than one with it.

I think it's also somewhat odd to want to switch from an electric oven
to gas. The vast majority of pro chefs prefer gas ranges and electric
ovens.

In the end, it's what you prefer and how much you are willing to pay.

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?
 

wrote:
Electric ovens are said to be better but I prefer gas cooktops. My
house has a jennair electric range with glass cooktop /grill catridge
etc. I like the ceramic heating element on stovetop and so far the
oven bakes wonderfully. We will probably keep until it dies then get
get gas range

Isn't it a lot more expensive to run an electric oven over a gas oven?

Changing over from Electric oven to gas - what are my options?