Anybody Switch from Electric to Gas Appliances?

Well. It sounds like it’s gonna be too much of a PITA to go gas on the water heater.

It’s in the laundry room (house doesn’t have an attached garage).

If anything I might eventually run the pipe and install a gas range with convection oven. At least it would save a bit on electricity, we’d have a better cooking range and oven, and we could still cook with no electricity.

Not going to invest in a generator here.

If we did spend some money upgrading the house, it would be on the master bathroom, which is really basic, with a combo shower-tub. We don’t take baths, and would much prefer a walk-in shower.
 
LOL...we've had no gas for 9 days, was going to be 5 weeks after a mains broke, cutting out a huge part of the state.
Our district is now isolated and being fed from LNG tankers, in the mean time, I Jerry Rigged an inline 2.4kW electric heater to the shower, which made us better off than many....5/8 gallon per minute, but still hot.

The pressure in Oz is to electrify everything, then de.......ize electricity, so new developments don't have gas at all.

In the meantime Adelaide is without electricity for a few days...
 
The big question is this... are there gas lines already in the house running to these appliances? If no, then forget it. If yes, wait until the appliances need to be replaced then upgrade to gas.
Installing an exhaust flue for the gas water heater is no big deal, just go straight up through the ceiling and roof. The water heater can be installed where the electric one is now, but you must make a box that raises it 18" off of the floor (code). Alternatively, you can install an on-demand tank-less gas water heater outside on an exterior wall.
 
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Were mostly gas - range, heat, hot water. Dryer is electric.

I don't know the ROI - but Nat gas is likely going up - possibly alot - to generate electricity which is likely also going up.

I would just wait until your appliances die and do it then. I honestly dislike our gas range - would prefer electric, I think its actually hotter or transfers the heat better maybe. Everything else fine.
 
The water heater can be installed where the electric one is now, but you must make a box that raises it 18" off of the floor (code). Alternatively, you can install an on-demand tank-less gas water heater outside on an exterior wall.
Why would he have to put a tankless outside? I've never heard of that.
 
They manufacture outdoor rated tank-less water heaters. My next door neighbor has one.
So what's the advantage assuming you are replacing a standard tank heater with a tankless by putting it outside, if all of your plumbing is already there where the old water heater was inside the house/garage?
 
So what's the advantage assuming you are replacing a standard tank heater with a tankless by putting it outside, if all of your plumbing is already there where the old water heater was inside the house/garage?
Yeah, all the plumbing would have to be rerouted. Which wouldn’t make sense.

Advantage (at least with a gas unit) would be no need for venting.
 
So what's the advantage assuming you are replacing a standard tank heater with a tankless by putting it outside, if all of your plumbing is already there where the old water heater was inside the house/garage?
IDK. Personally, I don't see any advantage. Perhaps there are code requirements that restrict where/how a gas tankless can be mounted inside a structure. I have not had a conversation with my neighbor to find out why he did it this way.
 
The advantage is simple installation with no need to design and install a vent system. It's not practical in cold climates since the water pipes can freeze.
 
So what's the advantage assuming you are replacing a standard tank heater with a tankless by putting it outside, if all of your plumbing is already there where the old water heater was inside the house/garage?

Because tankless water heaters have a very high BTU output and sufficient combustion air must be available to them. That may not be possible inside of a well-sealed house.
 
Our new house (built in 2015) has gas heating, but the water heater and range are electric, unfortunately.

WHY WHY WHY did they do this??? I have to think that the decision by the builder was made either due to cost of appliances, and extra cost with venting the water heater, and/or being afraid that a buyer would be fearful of gas. Probably a combination of these factors.

Having cooked on gas stoves and in gas convection ovens, I much prefer gas. So does the wife. But shes said she doesn’t really care - honestly this is something I’d like to have, and is not being pushed by her, at all, although she would obviously enjoy using a gas range if we got one.

We aren’t at all concerned with safety because we have common sense and we understand cause and effect.

It’s also cheaper, and I like the idea that we would be able to cook, and have hot water in the event of power failure.

The range wouldn’t be too difficult - just have to run a gas pipe up from crawl space.

Water heater, much more involved, due to the venting requirement.

Any of you guys do this? What was the cost? Was it worth it? Do you like the gas appliances better?

Not sure exactly how long we’ll be in the house. I figure 7-10 years, maybe. I do wonder how long it would take me to break even on the costs that would be involved. Probably wouldn’t. IDK.
A lot of apartment has electric range probably due to piping cost or design / code constrain, water heater and gas heating seems necessary to keep energy cost low though.

With heat pump water heater it is no longer an issue, but they do cost more and not necessarily cheaper.
 
Only thing in my house that is electric is the kitchen range. There is gas piping there but previous owner ran electric there too.
Last winter’s week long electric outage due to an ice storm showed the benefit of gas. House kept warm with gas logs in fire place and hot showers due to the water heater.
Couldn’t cook of course but the food in the fridge was kept good on the snow covered pool cover lol
 
Here’s something I didn’t think of: is a vent hood that vents to exterior, required for a gas range and oven?

Like many modern vent hoods, the one in this house is not actually vented to exterior. It only has the metal mesh grease traps. Any air taken in by the vent hood is exhausted right back into the kitchen.

Despite having an electric stove, the home I grew up in, that was built in 1978, had an honest to goodness, van hood, that actually vented up through the attic and roof, to the exterior of the house.
 
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