5 ms·

Because natural gas is around 4x cheaper per joule than electricity. If your energy bill is, say, $10 per month, maybe it's not worth it. Would you buy $30 in

Because natural gas is around 4x cheaper per joule than electricity. If your energy bill is, say, $10 per month, maybe it's not worth it. Would you buy $30 in lightbulbs to save $7.50 * 12 months * 10 years = $900 over the next ten years? If not, would you like to fund my startup?

billswift 18y ago
I've heard this over and over, but in my area many people have been switching from gas to electric and saving money. Now that gas prices are supposedly starting to fall because of lack of demand maybe things will start getting rational again - even with lower distribution costs there should be no way electricity would be equivalent to gas, much less cheaper.
- amalcon 18y ago
  These people have been (most likely) switching to heat pumps, not space-heaters. The heat you get from a light bulb is purely waste from the resistance of the light bulb, so the output per unit of input will be around 1:1, comparable to that of a space-heater. Heat pumps are much more efficient, because they give you both the waste heat (from resistance) and heat from outside.
- pingswept 18y ago
  I can't claim to have done a worldwide survey of gas and electricity prices, but my 4x number is from a direct calculation off of my own utility bills. I did the calculation about 2 years ago, but both costs have remained relatively constant (within 25%, say?) where I live in Boston since then. Additionally, Massachusetts electric prices are around 2x the national average (~$0.20/kWh rather than ~$0.10/kWh). But maybe I'm a statistical anomaly. I'd be interested to see broader evidence if you've got it. As mentioned in another reply to your comment, it could be that people are getting some savings by using heat pumps rather than resistive heaters. For temperatures near room temperature, heat pumps have a coefficient of performance as high as 3 or 4, but as it gets colder, it approaches 1. In a warm place like California, you might beat an inefficient old gas furnace with an electric heat pump.

billswift 18y ago

I've heard this over and over, but in my area many people have been switching from gas to electric and saving money. Now that gas prices are supposedly starting to fall because of lack of demand maybe things will start getting rational again - even with lower distribution costs there should be no way electricity would be equivalent to gas, much less cheaper.

amalcon 18y ago
These people have been (most likely) switching to heat pumps, not space-heaters. The heat you get from a light bulb is purely waste from the resistance of the light bulb, so the output per unit of input will be around 1:1, comparable to that of a space-heater. Heat pumps are much more efficient, because they give you both the waste heat (from resistance) and heat from outside.
pingswept 18y ago
I can't claim to have done a worldwide survey of gas and electricity prices, but my 4x number is from a direct calculation off of my own utility bills. I did the calculation about 2 years ago, but both costs have remained relatively constant (within 25%, say?) where I live in Boston since then. Additionally, Massachusetts electric prices are around 2x the national average (~$0.20/kWh rather than ~$0.10/kWh). But maybe I'm a statistical anomaly. I'd be interested to see broader evidence if you've got it. As mentioned in another reply to your comment, it could be that people are getting some savings by using heat pumps rather than resistive heaters. For temperatures near room temperature, heat pumps have a coefficient of performance as high as 3 or 4, but as it gets colder, it approaches 1. In a warm place like California, you might beat an inefficient old gas furnace with an electric heat pump.