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There's a couple angles to consider. - An electric water heater is the only way to go truly "net zero" - You can power it with solar panels - Your gas compan

by gascan 9y ago

There's a couple angles to consider. - An electric water heater is the only way to go truly "net zero" - You can power it with solar panels - Your gas company might have a high fixed charge (e.g. I pay $20/mo just for the hookup) - Routing gas lines & exhaust can get expensive and quickly wipe out fuel savings - Cutting gas service completely eliminates combustion concerns. No worries about combustion air, no carbon monoxide, etc. - Electric might still be the service of the future; electric appliances are a bet on renewables Now, a tankless electric can also get expensive if you wind up needing to upgrade your electric service. Which is why I ultimately went from tanked gas to tanked electric.

jdavis703 9y ago
$20/month just for a hookup sounds crazy. In California I pay around $20/month total for both gas and electric (and specifically renewables coming from the grid). I'm not sure if there are other utilities available in you area, but it sounds like you're getting ripped off.
- gascan 9y ago
  There's just the one choice for me. The per-therm price is really low so it's fine in the winter, but now that the furnace is the only thing on gas, I wonder if I can suspend service over the summer.
dsfyu404ed 9y ago
>An electric water heater is the only way to go truly "net zero" Typically electricity are the worst in places where this is a meaningful benefit to consumers because the state usually has policies about sourcing its electricity that take environmental impact into account in such a way that price is driven through the roof. Paying a premium for green energy is the best thing states can do to discourage conversion from fossil fuels to electric power.