8 Benefits of electric water heaters over gas water heaters
For some oddball reason, the previous owners of our home installed a second water heater when they added a second bathroom 10 years ago. The original tank is gas heated and holds 60 gallons, which is more than enough for a family of 4, much less just my wife and I. The second water heater is a 40 gallon electric heater, and is only hooked into the new bathroom’s shower and sink piping. The rest of the house uses the gas tank.
Since we must maintain and monitor both an electric and gas water heater, I figured I would comment on many of the reasons I prefer the electric option. Additionally, I would like to connect all the piping and replace both tanks with a single unit as they are both over 10 years old.
Costs of electric vs gas water heaters
Generally, gas water heaters are known to cost less than their electric counterparts when it comes to heating water. Gas is simply more efficient as it heats faster and uses less energy while doing so, compared to an electric unit. However, faster heating and potentially cheaper fuel costs shouldn’t be the only reason you would choose a gas water heater over electric…
Why choose an electric water heater
Although the basic price differences between gas and electricity and the efficiency of gas heat may persuade you to choose a gas water heater over an electric tank, let me provide you with a number of reasons an electric water heater is better than a gas one:
- Safety: Your chances of an explosion from a gas leak are much greater than electrocution from faulty wiring to your tank. Plus, the damage to your home after an explosion far exceeds most damage that an electric tank could do.
- Ability to install a timer on an electric tank: When we moved into our home, one of the first items we installed was a timer unit that cuts off power to the entire tank at times we determined. It costs between $40-$55 and can be installed by the average handy homeowner (turn off the fuse/breaker before working with electricity though). We have our timer come on at 5am and turn off at 8am. My wife has enough hot water for her morning shower and evening routine, and we only use 3 hours of electricity max, versus 24. Also, since we’re on time-metered billing, we limit our power consumption to off-peak times.
- Cost of installation: With a gas water heater, you must vent the exhaust through a flu. That means you must install PVC tubing up through your home and out your roof. With an electric water heater, you just install a special outlet or bare wiring. No need to saw holes into your roof!
- Space requirements: Gas water heaters need at least 6-18″ of ventilation around all sides and top, which means you can’t just install the tank in a small closet or crawspace. An electric tank can be installed in confined spaces without fear of gas buildup or an explosion. There are even small electric water heaters for under the sink! (I’ll discuss tankless water heaters in a later article).
- Life expectancy: Because electric water heaters use less parts, and subject those parts to less direct heat, they can last years beyond the lifespan of a gas water heater.
- Cost of purchase: Electric water heaters cost less than gas heaters of the same size…period.
- No pilot light: Along the lines of safety, electric water heaters do not use a pilot light, so you don’t need to worry about relighting the flame if it accidentally burns out. However, many new gas heaters use electric ignitions, not pilot lights, which leads us to…
- Gas heaters can no longer use the excuse that they work even when the power goes out: That’s right. Now that many gas water tanks use electric ignitions, when the power goes out, so does your hot water (except what’s left in the tank).
Do you have any more reasons an electric tank is better than a gas one? Was I way off on any of the reasons above? Can you prove why a gas water heater can overcome all 8 reasons to be the better choice?
Possibly related posts:
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- The Mental Effects of a Gas Mileage Computer in Your Car
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Clever Dude and his bride started with $500k in debt and in just 4 years, it's down to $300k!
I’m bored (and dinner is taking FOREVER!) so I accept your challenge.
1. Most newer gas water heaters have automatic shutoffs, so gas leaks are a thing of the past. Water and electricity is also a much riskier combination than water and gas.
2. This argument works when you have multiple water heaters. If you decide you need hot water now and have your heater on a timer, you have to adjust the timer and wait for the water to heat up. Keeping the water heated all the time is cheaper than many people realize; I think I read somewhere that keeping a tank of hot water heated only costs a buck or two a month.
3 and 4. These were both probably accounted for when the house was originally built. If not, and you want to switch from electric to gas, then you’ll need to spend the extra money. But then why would you need to install a flue and use extra space if electric water heating is so awesome? Also, on space requirements, since electric water heaters take longer to heat, a lot of families need larger capacity electric water heaters than they would need for a gas water heater.
5. There are lots of gas water heaters that’ll outlast electric water heaters… like ours!
6. Any cost savings of the initial heater purchase is lost over time (and not even that much time) since electric water heating is roughly twice as expensive as gas.
7 and 8. I actually prefer gas heaters with pilot lights since they mean I’ll have hot water in the event of a power outage.
This page says it best: “Electricity is the fuel of choice only where it is the only option.” Still, I can understand why some people would prefer electric over gas for appliances, especially for families who use very little hot water.
Nick,
Do YOU need water at all times of the day? You need to be home to use water!
You can have 2 timers: one for the morning and one for the evening. If you really want to save money, and you have the option of installing an electric water heater, I think the lower purchase price, installation cost, maintenance costs, and longer lifespan, in combination with using a timer to limit the energy draw to specific times of the day, far exceed any random statements of “electricity is twice as much as gas”.
And I’m sure the few days of cold showers in your new home because your pilot light wouldn’t stay on made the experience “charming”
Ooooh, SNAP!
Nick’s comment is accurate. It costs less to maintain the water temp than to use the timer to heat on demand.
Prove it with real numbers. (I don’t have to prove my statement since it’s my site
)
I’d like to know why maintaining a temp of 120 degrees constantly for 24 hours is more efficient than just heating water from room temp (or higher, given the tank’s insulation) to 120 degrees and maintaining it for just 4 hours.
Having a gas water heater I can add to the conversation a bit. Let me start by stating that mine was in the house when I bought it. The water heater is 27 years old. Don’t tell me they don’t last as long.
Next, having an existing flue means converting to a tankless water heater is painless.
Further, if you use other gas appliances, safety isn’t much of an issue. You’ve already assumed the risk that gas introduces, which is so small anyway it isn’t worth mention.
I have never had my pilot blow out. I live in windy central Iowa and it isn’t a problem.
We’ve got a gas heater in our apartment, and that thing terrifies me. Not because it is gas, but because it gas in our apartment complex. I can’t repair it and charge the complex. But I may be misinformed…
When my power was out for what felt like forever after a big storm last winter, I sure appreciated my gas water heater, because even though I had no heat, I had hot water!
“Cost of purchase: Electric water heaters cost less than gas heaters of the same size…period.”
That may be true, but it’s misleading and pretty irrelevant. A water heater is not a piece of lawn furniture. You have to pay to operate it, and the cost of operation far exceeds the cost of purchase. The EPA says a gas water heater is about 26% cheaper to operate. That translates to about $10.50 per month in savings. It may actually be more. Others estimate the savings at more like 36%.
Using the conservative number, your “cheaper” electric water heater is costing you an extra $126 per year to operate. That’s $1260 after ten years. $2520 if you make it to twenty years.
A quick scan of Home Depot’s web site reveals that your average electric heater is maybe $125 cheaper than a comparable gas heater. So after throwing away one or two thousand dollars in increased energy costs,
you’re going to brag about having saved $125 all those years ago on the cost of the heater? I think not.
In the interest of full disclosure, I actually prefer electric water heaters because they’re just easier to deal with. But you go electric for reasons such as personal preference, knowing full well that you are paying more.
There really is no value argument in favor of electric.
There is now a TIMER for gas water heaters. See http://www.gaswaterheatertimer.com
Jeff
What is the general application of 2.5 and 4.0GAL tank water heaters.Where ? the biggest market ?
Not only does the Flume have to be installed, it is a major source of energy loss for the whole house. Warm air flows out even when the flames are off. In the summer the air that goes out the flume is replaced by by uncooled air passing through the home walls adding to the additional energy cost your Air Conditioner has to compensate.
During the winter the cold air draft created from the flume has to be heated by your furnace. This negates any energy savings offered by Gas. If you only look at energy conversion to cost, Gas is better. Include installation, home owner’s insurance reduced rate for electric and your Furnace / AC not having to treat fresh outside air Electric is cheaper and better for the environment. Some of us get our power from wind energy. Not having to pay an additional utility and their delivery charges is priceless.
Unatural gas is now comming from the fracking process, which is destroying the enviroment,making people sick, and killing animals. I also respond to a lot of monoxide poisonings caused by bad ventalation and fires from gas waterheaters. Haven’t responded to or have ever heard of a response to an electric water heater.
Dude,
I converted to electric when my gas went out … and wanted to know where i can find those timers for $50. I would assume they work with any electic heater as the mains feed into them and then into the thermostats, correct ?
Thanks,
Peter