Heating Gas vs Electric

[ChetMC]

We have two gas stoves, and a bunch of electric baseboard heaters.

This is our first winter in this house, but it seems that the stoves could heat the whole house. Alternatively, we could heat nearly the whole house with electric (everything but the master bedroom).

Any thoughts on whether we should favour the gas heat or the electric heat?

Gas is working out to about $1.20 per cubic metre.

Electricity is a little less than $0.07 per kwh.

[SleeplessMommy]

Your gas "stoves" - are they cooking stoves, as found in a kitchen? or fireplaces? or something else?

The vent-less gas fireplaces - commonly sold and owner installed in the USA, have some significant safety concerns. The combustion products - CO2, CO and water go into the air of the house. CO is (obviously) harmful and possibly fatal to humans. If you have these fireplaces, be sure to read and follow the owner's manual instructions - which may state that a window in the room must be opened 2" while using the unit.

If you have a vented gas fireplace, risks are much less.

If you have 2 stoves (as in cooktops or ovens) these should absolutely not be used for home heating. Gas ovens vent CO directly into the air in the kitchen, and can do so at harmful levels.

Gas heating and cooking are more cost effective than electric, but everyone needs to be safe, follow operating instructions, and make sure you have working CO monitors in the house.

[ChetMC]

More Info

These are cast iron, gas "fireplaces" with chimneys. They were installed professionally by the store that sold them to the original owner. We have a CO2 detector.

I said stove because they look like wood stoves. To me, a fireplace has a mantel and looks nice. These stoves are big blocks of black iron. I don't love the way they look. The people we bought this house from had a rustic sort of style.

I know that electric heat is generally not considered to be economical, but Quebec is supposed to have the cheapest electricity in North America... so I wonder which one we're supposed to be using as the main heating source.

[aikigypsy]

7 cents/KWH is really cheapffor electricity. I think it's close to 20 cents, here.

My guess is that you'll wind up using a combination. If the master bedroom has only the gas stove, you can heat it only when you're using the room. It sounds like the house is pretty well set up for zoned heating, so that you can heat each space only as much as needed, which will save money in itself.

[SleeplessMommy]

Chimneys that vent to the outside, right?

7 cents per killowatt is a great price. we pay 11 and that is considered "cheap". Your hydro-generated electricity is "clean" too - compared to our coal generated electricity.

I ran a check here:
http://energy.cas.psu.edu/costcomparator.html

IF I did the conversion to therms correctly, your electric heat will be cheaper. can someone please double check my math here?

$1.20/cubic meter ---> $3.30/therm

Natural Gas $3.30/therm $38.82 per million btu
Electricity $0.07/kWh $20.52 per million btu


I used electric (resistance heat) at 100% efficiency, natural gas at 85%, since some heat goes up the stack. Electric wins either way IF my math is right.

[ChetMC]

Originally Posted by SleeplessMommy

Chimneys that vent to the outside, right?

7 cents per killowatt is a great price. we pay 11 and that is considered "cheap". Your hydro-generated electricity is "clean" too - compared to our coal generated electricity.

I ran a check here:
http://energy.cas.psu.edu/costcomparator.html

IF I did the conversion to therms correctly, your electric heat will be cheaper. can someone please double check my math here?

$1.20/cubic meter ---> $3.30/therm

Natural Gas $3.30/therm $38.82 per million btu
Electricity $0.07/kWh $20.52 per million btu


I used electric (resistance heat) at 100% efficiency, natural gas at 85%, since some heat goes up the stack. Electric wins either way IF my math is right.

This is perfect! Thank you so much.