4 ms·
Actually many homes were built all electric in the US in the era between 1960-1980 because the nation was promised limitless, cheap electricity from Nuclear pow
by rpiguy 7y ago
Actually many homes were built all electric in the US in the era between 1960-1980 because the nation was promised limitless, cheap electricity from Nuclear power, etc.
In the 80s oil and gas prices plummeted in the US, but electrical power prices did not, and it then became cheaper for gas and oil.
The proliferation of gas in the United States is also probably due to less-regulated environment. Gas companies are profitable and expanded their networks and distribution to expand. I would guess fewer environmental regulations and building regulations make it easier to expand a than in other countries.
- JumpCrisscross 7y ago> The proliferation of gas in the United States is also probably due to less-regulated environment Gas is expensive to transport. The United States has a lot of gas and a lot of transport infrastructure. As a result, gas is cheap. The same is not true on continental Europe.
- Gibbon1 7y agoAlso for a long time gas was a waste product from oil production. So if you were close to oil fields, like California and the gulf states then nat gas was really cheap.
- stevekemp 7y agoIn the UK gas-cookers, and even gas-based boilers/heating, are extremely common. I moved to Finland, here gas is an oddity, and not so common at all. I really miss the speed of a gas-based hob.
- Broken_Hippo 7y agoCheck out induction tops. They've been beating out gas in some speed-based things, namely boiling water. When I reach the point of needing to buy a new stove, I'm going for this. As a bonus, many of the pots and pans I have will work on it.
- stevekemp 7y agoFunny you say that, after living in this new flat for a couple of years we recently renovated our kitchen and now have an induction hob. The induction hob is certainly better than the electric rings we had in the past, but I still miss the gas!
- dTal 7y ago>As a bonus, many of the pots and pans I have will work on it. Bit of a stretch to reframe limited compatibility as a 'bonus', dontcha think? Outside of induction hobs, the norm is for any pot/pan to work on any stove.
- Broken_Hippo 7y agoYou would think so, but many folks are under the impression that you have to get special pots and pans for it or that they are expensive - which isn't the case. Many will find that their current pans will, indeed, work on the induction hobs. As far as the second... yes and no. IIRC, some of the reason for the decrease in enamel cookware was that it couldn't be used on some burners. The same goes with glass saucepans: I don't think you are supposed to use them with gas cook tops - even though these were popular for some time. Making sure the material was suitable for your cooking surface has been a concern for quite some time. It just happens that most cookware can be used on most surfaces.
- pergadad 7y agoInduction is great, but of course still not as fast as gas and pots get expensive. I'm return much safer - I'd prefer my old townhouse not to be filled with ancient gas lines.
- tssva 7y agoMost natural gas in the US is transported via pipeline. The US has over 2.5 million miles of natural gas pipelines.