When we started renovating 8 years ago we didn’t even consider not using gas appliances. Our vision of our dream kitchen included the roar of those nostalgic gas flames on our cooktop. If we had it to do all over again we would think twice. In fact, in our next renovation we think we’re going to go all electric! Our perspective has changed as has the world around us and the question of whether you should go for gas or electric is on the minds of many renovators today. If you are renovating a house, especially an old one, you might be redoing a lot of the electrical and plumbing and this question no doubt will come up, but should you take a plunge? There are lots of reasons why it’s a great idea and a few reasons why it might not be.
Let’s start with why you should consider going all electric:
For a bit of context: In December 2021, New York City passed legislation to ban the use of natural gas in some new residential buildings that went into effect starting at the end of 2023. Similar bans have happened elsewhere in New York State and around the country and this may only be the beginning. So it’s a good time to consider your options. And if the largest city in America made that decision is it worth doing it voluntarily?
Efficiency
One of our favorite examples of how to create an energy efficient home is with an induction cooktop. We have had the opportunity to cook on one many times and we were blown away. We didn’t miss the gas flames at all and in fact really enjoyed the benefits that the induction cooktop offered.
In case you’re not familiar, let’s talk about some of the basics. Induction is becoming more and more popular. It is powered by electricity but rather than thermal conduction (the old electric element you might be familiar with that transfers heat from a burner to a pot or pan) it uses magnetic induction to directly heat the pot or pan. Because induction doesn’t use a traditional outside heat source, only the element in use will become warm due to the heat transferred from the pan and it’s cool to the touch immediately after the pan is removed. Induction cooking is more efficient than traditional electric and gas cooking because little heat energy is lost. When you cook with gas much of the heat generated just escapes into the room. It’s not very efficient and it means you need to turn the AC up a bit in the summer to account for the extra heat you’re generating. With induction almost all of the energy goes directly into heating the pot or pan and virtually none escapes. It’s much more efficient. The first time we picked up a pan that was sizzling away and felt that the cooktop was cool to the touch we couldn’t believe it. It’s a very convenient feature and you can feel how much more efficient it is.
Here is another point about induction cooking that may or may not relate to efficiency, depending on how you look at it. If you have ever cooked a messy meal on an induction cooktop and then effortlessly whipped away the spills by simply picking up the pot or pan (yes while it is still boiling or sizzling because as soon as it no longer has contact with the surface it is cool) and passing a towel over the flat smooth surface you will never want to go back to having to fish out food and dried sauce from under the heavy iron grates and around the burners of a gas cooktop, let us tell you. The cooktop was clean before we even finished cooking so the post-dinner cleanup was virtually non-existent.
Another example of improved efficiency is in heating water. Most electric hot water heaters are also on-demand, which means that water is heated only when it is needed rather than a big 70 gallon tank of steaming hot water sitting in your basement waiting for you even when you aren’t home for hours or even days. We were recently in our basement cleaning out a storage area for a few hours and we heard the hot water heater fire-up more times than we can count! No one was using hot water and it wouldn’t even be needed for hours. It really felt like a waste. On-demand hot water heaters come in a gas version too, but traditional gas hot water heaters usually have tanks and if you are making the upgrade to a much more efficient on-demand hot water heater you are probably in the mindset of also converting to electric for many of the same reasons. One other point is that anytime an appliance burns gas as fuel source, it needs to be vented for obvious reasons. Since on-demand hot water heaters are usually spread around the house to be closer to where they are needed it can create a venting conundrum if they are gas. Since electric on-demand hot water heaters do not need to be vented it can be easier to find a closet to tuck them away in without having to worry about running gas lines and venting to and from.
Environmental
One of the biggest reasons for towns and municipalities to ban natural gas is environmental. We aren’t environmental experts so we won’t quote stats and numbers to you but it is believed that burning natural gas contributes significantly to carbon emissions and using electricity instead reduces our carbon footprint. Right now, one could argue that it depends on how the electricity is produced, as some methods result in carbon emissions, but the trend is toward cleaner electric energy (hydro, nuclear, wind, solar). Also, if you’re interested in installing solar panels you can make your own electricity to power as much of our home as possible. If you want to do your part, ditching gas can help contribute (even if some of that benefit might be in the future) in the fight to combat client change.
Safety
Remember the deadly gas explosion in the East Village a few years ago that leveled an entire building? That one is well known, but there have been many accidents before and since then. We have at least one panic attack a week when we are away from home, hands to our cheeks, asking one another in a panic: “did I turn off the stove?!”. Imagine never having to feel that way again! It’s also been found that having natural gas burning in your home can produce CO2 and other harmful emissions, we’ll leave this one for the experts too, but if those things sound not so great for you, we agree.
Both gas and electric energy have some level of risk associated with them, that being said modern electrical systems have many safety features built into them (fuses, circuit breakers, surge protectors, automatic off-switches etc) that have reduced the risk of them causing damage or harm to a very low level. Gas systems also have safety features built in but unfortunately, due to the nature of gas, still have hazards that cannot be eliminated.
How do I heat my home if I can’t use gas?
Have you heard of a heat pump? If you haven’t you will be hearing more and more about them, especially in New York City. Technology has improved greatly in this area and will continue to improve. There is a movement to install more heat pumps for heating and cooling. We were still a little reluctant to rely solely on our mini split system’s heat pump when we installed it, so we kept the traditional radiator system. But we find ourselves using our heat pump instead very often. It heats our home quicker and, according to our energy bills, more efficiently! A heat pump’s technology is hard for people to wrap their head around. It removes heat from the exterior air and pulls it inside to heat the home. Sounds easy right now while it’s 90 degrees outside, but what about when it’s 20 degrees? Even though you might not want to spend long periods of time outside when it’s that cold, believe it or not there is still heat in the air that the system can use to heat the home. The best heat pump technology still has 100% heating capacity down to about -14 degrees fahrenheit. Pretty safe for even the worst winters in NYC.
Cost Savings
Whether or not it’s cheaper to operate gas or electric appliances depends on a lot of things including where you live. Most people agree that because of the efficiencies of operating electric appliances you will save money over the course of the year. Remember though with electric appliances you have the opportunity to install solar panels and power your home at little to no cost.
Now let’s talk about why you might want to stick with gas:
Cost of Conversion
Almost all electric appliances and systems as we discussed here are more expensive than their gas alternatives. Usually that is because the technology is newer. For instance, an induction cooktop is more expensive than a gas cooktop. So you’ll likely be spending a bit more on each appliance and system up front if you want to go all electric. Sticking with gas will save money up front.
You will also want to consider the cost to convert. If there is currently a gas line to where your stove is and you want to switch to electric, you will need to remove it or cap it and run 220A electrical. If you aren’t already redoing all of the electrical and plumbing in the house this will be an additional cost to consider. This is true of all other appliances.
There is one exception that we often see that may not create additional expense. If you are already installing a mini split system for air conditioning throughout your home, it is the same installation cost and only marginally more expensive to get the equipment with a high-efficiency heat pump. So rather than installing air conditioning and buying a new gas boiler you can actually save here by forgoing the gas and going all electric.
Electrical Load
This one is important. You simply may not have the amperage to run your entire house on electricity. If your home was built with many gas appliances they may not have run the service to support so many electrical appliances. You’ll want an electrician to do what is called a load letter to understand what amps your service has compared to what the new appliances and systems will draw. If it is found that you don’t have enough amps available it is possible to request a service upgrade. Here in New York City that request is made to Con Edison (our electrical service provider) and there is usually no cost associated with it, although the wait can be very long. You will of course have to pay an electrician to finish up where ConEd leaves off to complete the upgrade. If you are renovating a house or townhouse you’ll have the ability to upgrade your service but if you are in a condo or co-op it might be more complicated and may not be possible. You’ll want to coordinate with an electrician and your buildings management.
Nostalgia and Tradition
Back to us 7 years ago dreaming up our new kitchen. The only reason we decided on gas was because it was what we thought we should do. A new kitchen with a fancy new stove should be gas! Many people just can’t imagine not hearing that roar of their gas flames when making dinner. No other practical reasons came into consideration. We just didn’t know what we know now. And maybe things have even changed in that short of an amount of time. Yes, there is a learning curve to switching to induction, but for us the advantages just outway the nostalgia.
It is also a very widely held belief that a traditional radiator system heats a home more thoroughly than an electric heat pump. That’s what we thought. This may be true in some cases because a heat pump system is typically designed with zones that can be as small as a single room and each can be turned on or off, while a traditional radiator system is usually for an entire house and if zoned is often per unit or per floor of a house, so you are heating more thoroughly. Overall the sentiment is likely due to the fact that heat pumps are new and change is hard.
So, should you do it? It’s up to you! What we can tell you is that we would. We’re not alone, more people are doing it today than 10 years ago, and even more will do it 10 years from now. The trajectory is clear.
If you want more practical information on how to make these kinds of decisions throughout your renovation process, make sure to check out our book, For The Love of Renovating! We poured so much of our knowledge and experience into it and we’ve even found ourselves using it as a resource as we approach new projects and challenges.
Happy renovating! Make sure to follow along on Instagram, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and get all our design details when you subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
