Electric Vs Natural Gas Hot Water Heater

A storage tank and a back up source of hot water either a gas or electric tank water heater to ensure a supply of hot water on cloudy and cold days.

Electric vs natural gas hot water heater.

The higher the ef number. A gas or electric water heater s energy factor ef is a measurement that compares the amount of hot water the heater produces per day to the amount of fuel it consumes. Before you decide that gas is the winner in the natural gas and propane vs electric hot water heater debate you need to consider the pros and cons of electric heaters. Gas water heaters are less energy efficient than electric heaters but the cost of electricity itself makes the running costs of an electric heater higher.

The initial investment is low. Traditional water heaters natural gas and oil fired have an energy factor ef of 53 to 70. For most it is easiest to replace with the same type of tank that was connected previously as opposed to changing over from electric to gas due to using existing pipelines. You can find a high quality electric water heater for as little as 500.

By meeting ef standards they can be considered energy efficient. Comparatively energy efficient gas water heaters have an ef of 67 or higher while energy efficient electric water heaters have an ef of 2 00 or 2 20 depending on tank size. If we use 65 gallons of hot water daily a natural gas water heater with an ef of 82 and a fuel cost of 0 00000295 btu. Direct systems heat water in tubes inside the collector then send the water to a storage tank for later use.

Even top range electric heaters cost little more than 700. A gas water heater uses the heat from burning a fuel usually natural gas to heat water while an electric water heater uses electric resistance coils. An electric water heater through an energy factor of 2 0 and an electricity cost of 0 1041 kwh. 365 x 12 03 2 0x 0 1041 228 54.

Natural gas water heaters typically use less energy and cost less to run by about half than electric water heaters although you should note that gas models cost more at the time of purchase. An electric hot water heater ranges in costs from about 300 to 700 while a gas heater ranges from 400 to 800. Installation costs for an electric heater are 700 to 1 000 while the cost to install a gas heater ranges from 1 000 to 2 000 depending on whether you have an existing gas line and vent. They work one of two ways.