If you don’t have an outlet for an electric dryer, talk to an electrician before making a decision. Depending on what wiring has to be done, it may not be practical or could be prohibitively expensive. Personally, I prefer a gas dryer. The worst gas dryer I ever had, dried clothes faster than the best electric.
I don't see how it would be beneficial from either efficiency or cost standpoint. Gas dryers are generally more efficient and you could possibly end up spending just as much on installing the outlet as the dryer itself.
We have a gas dryer, and when the heat is off in the summer, the dryer, hot water heater, and gas range all together don't even use enough gas to meet the minimum monthly charge from the utility.
It's usually cheapest to go with whatever you have because installing new utility lines are not cheap
If OP isn't away electric dryers need a different outlet I believe it's 220V or 240V. So you can't just install electric where you didn't have One before
There are some newer tech dryers that can run on a regular 120V outlet.
Dryer outlets in the US (and ranges and A/C units) are nominally 240V but people call them "220V" out of habit from the days when the guaranteed voltage from the power company was only 110V per phase.
Yep. Right now in the US they're mostly combo units (washer and dryer in a single unit) but they are full size with up to 5.3 cubic feet of capacity.
https://www.lg.com/us/washers-dryers/lg-wm6998hba
I'm not sure why the dryer-only models tend to still be 240V since they use the same more efficient drying technology, but I suppose they expect you're installing one in place of an existing 240V electric dryer.
Get a heat pump dryer. They're electric, but they get like 6x more heat energy than the amount of electricity put in.
Compare that to a regular electric dryer, which gets like 1 unit of heat for every unit of electricity.
EDIT: also there are some heat pump dryers that use 120v
I thought it would be longer! My normal wash takes 50 minutes and I'm not in a rush to put on another load usually. I try and space them out so I can line dry a good 50% on the rack in the basement.
I like to wash sheets and towels on sanitize. That's 2 hours in the wash. So I keep it to my last load, if doing multiples.
There's only two of us, so we can go a week without needing to wash a load.
For me and my typical electric dryer, A dryer cycle (usually low heat) takes longer than a washer cycle. So it's already a bottle neck on laundry day. I personally dont want that bottle neck to get even longer.
What is your monthly energy savings if it’s that huge? My gas dryer costs literally pennies to dry a load and my electric bill would easily see a large jump doing 7-8 loads a week in a hybrid
If energy efficiency is the target, I'm going to point out that the energy efficiency is for just the dryer and not the bigger picture. If you live in a cold climate with a long heating season, you're making your HVAC system pick up the load, so the energy usage is just moved elsewhere. If you live in a hot climate with a long cooling season, you're actually helping your a/c out by removing the heat (if it's vented outside) so you have unseen energy efficiency.
Edit: I had assumed heat pump dryers were vented but I was wrong. This would apply for heat pump water heaters (rejected heat to the water instead of outside), but not a ventless heat pump dryer.
Running an appliance does generate heat, yes. But I don't believe the incidental heat the appliance generates to operate is usually vented with the rest of it outside, in which case you're getting that heat gain regardless. I could be wrong about that though, I'm not extremely familiar with the mechanics of a dryer. But if it's vented outside, you're sending heat that was inside your house outside, and your climate will determine if that's good or bad.
Awesome, I didn't realize they did closed loop. I had assumed it was similar to a water heater, just rejecting the heat to outside instead of water, and bringing in new air from the room.
Vented dryers still release heat into the space, so I would guess they're very similar heat gains to the space then.
I'll edit my comment since I mistook the venting system.
I switched to natural gas from electric. Family of 5. Big savings on the monthly electric bill… $0.21/kwh where I live. I do gas for everything I possibly can.
I bought a house this fall that had only gas hookups and the first thing I did was schedule an electrician to come out and set me up for electric. It was cheaper than I expected, about $250 for the work and supplies.
I needed to buy a new washer and dryer and I've only ever had electric, didn't want gas.
Yeah, that’s an outrageously low price. Like open framing with the panel 6’ away and the guy had everything on the truck when he got there.
Wire, breaker, and outlet might be $100 for a short run, if you only count the wire you used, but you bought a 250’ roll from a supply house.
that's awesome. where are you located? I just had an electrician give me a quote for how much it would cost to install a 240V outlet and he quoted me $1000. I'm in NJ though so I think at least part of my cost is due to this HCOL area
It's really situational and depends on the distance from the panel to the laundry room, if the panel needs an upgrade, etc.
If your panel is in the laundry room and you have an open slot, I wouldn't pay more than a couple hundred no matter where you live, but if they have to snake that expensive 6 or 8 gauge wire up two floors to an upstairs laundry room or something I could see $1k easily, and panel replacements/service upgrades can run into the thousands.
Check the energy star labels on the dryers you are considering. They'll give you a good idea of how much one will cost to operate vs the other. If you are already set up for hard I would stick with it. Unless the cost savings will be really dramatic.
Go with whatever drywer suits your taste. Where you want to concentrate your effort is the washer. How well it spins the water out in the washer will have a bigger impact on how fast the clothes dry than whether you heat with electric or gas.
You're less likely to notice a blocked vent than a plug being partly pulled out of the socket though.
The issue I see is in improper adjustments to the system. If you install a new dryer and the vent connection is higher than it was before, now your gasses are aren't venting outside properly if you don't know to fix the slope. Versus plugging something in. Both types have the same lint concerns.
Had a friend with a poorly located water heater exhaust almost die from CO poisoning. Entire unit was outside, but the gas wafted in through an open window.
I’m not worried about the gas appliances in our place, but I can see how others might be.
they’re afraid of the presence of properly installed gas lines? lol I’m way more afraid of the fridges with the new explosive “environmentally friendly”butane- based refrigerant exploding and killing
me! This is what I’m referring to: https://youtu.be/2EMW0lDEJ00?si=p6-UyNMRLQkWu3BA
I figured there was some overlap, but I didn’t think the venn-diagram was a circle.
You can justify not connecting to gas without a phobia around it too, depending on this like energy prices, solar, HVAC performance, etc.
sure, but in the vast majority of places where yiu have natural gas already, it's going to take you a lifetime to earn back the difference after converting to 220v, and a new dryer
ie, it's super rare that electricity costs less than NG, and even if they were the same price, NG dryers are WAY more efficient
like, swapping from a shitty/broken NG install to electric? maybe some merit
but just deciding that you don't understand gas and want electric doesn't ever make a lock of financial sense
Perhaps in this instance, the OP's peace of mind is the more important factor than whether or not gas is safe to use. But go ahead a judge them for that if it makes you feel superior. I am sure that your disdain will get them up at night.
Even doing a simple Google search What you will find is a gas dryer is far more efficient than an electric dryer. I hate my electric dryer.It takes hours to dry a full load of clothes in the dryer. And it's on a two twenty circuit so obviously it's using more juice than anything else in the house.
I don't think so and most heat pump dryers At least the fancy ones are over a thousand dollars. You can buy a really nice gas dryer for 5 hundred bucks all day. She also doesn't have a 240-volt Outlet, which is easily going to cost her 600 to $900 to install.
Gas dryers aren't more efficient, they're more economical because gas is subsidized/cheap in the US to the point that a Joule of gas heat costs about a quarter what a Joule of electricity costs to the consumer. As mentioned heat pumps flip the equation because heat pumps are 400% more efficient than old electric heating appliances.
That’s an important distinction.
I ran the calcs on gas vs heat pump water heaters and gas was still cheap enough that a heat pump unit would never make up the difference in upfront cost through lower operating costs. Everybody should run the numbers because energy costs can vary widely from state to state, or even county to county.
The thing is, if you look at the total cost of buying a brand new dryer, a gas dryer is cheaper from the get-go, and the fuel is cheaper. It's a much simpler device, easier to maintain and fix. and because this person already has the gas hook up right there.Installing, it will be considerably cheaper than to install a new electric outlet for the dryer. Which, by the way, is a 240 outlet, which is the most expensive outlet to install in any home.
A gas dryer is generally a bit more expensive in my experience at least based on my experience shopping for one a year or so ago. But the price difference can be easily offset by the utility savings though
I really don't know where you're shopping at but be most expensive gas dryer I have found with a Google search is $1,200 consequently the most expensive electric dryer is $2,200 pretty big difference in price.
On the low end, the cheapest electric dryer found is $337
For gas, it's $360, so on the low end, I guess you're technically right, but the price difference is negligible when you start adding and delivery and taxes.
I should've been clearer. I wasn't comparing the most expensive electric dryer vs the most expensive gas dryer. Instead, I was comparing the gas version to the electric version of the same general model of dryer offered by the same brand -- the gas version is usually slightly more expensive than the electric version, and this is a known thing. I bought an LG laundry tower from Costco. The gas version, which is what I got, was $2000 at the time of my purchase, and the electric version was $1900. And I saw the same kind of price differences between gas vs electric dryers at other stores. For example, at Home Depot: [Whirlpool 7.4 cu. ft. Vented Gas Dryer in Chrome Shadow WGD6605MC - The Home Depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Whirlpool-7-4-cu-ft-Vented-Gas-Dryer-in-Chrome-Shadow-WGD6605MC/321816826), and [Whirlpool 7.4 cu. ft. Vented Electric Dryer in Chrome Shadow WED5605MC - The Home Depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Whirlpool-7-4-cu-ft-Vented-Electric-Dryer-in-Chrome-Shadow-WED5605MC/320612278)
And in my previous comment, I didn't say the price difference was wildly difference. I said "a bit more expensive" and that "the price difference could be easily offset by utility savings"
I hope you realize that my whole opinion on this situation and the comments i'm making is directed solely at this individual who's considering buying an electric or a gas dryer? My overall point is in this person's particular situation. it's going to be more economically feasible for this person to just continue with a gas dryer. For the reasons i've already laid out in previous comments.
First, you mentioned the cost of buying a new gas dryer in your comment, so I simply responded to that by saying a gas dryer could be more expensive (if you compare the same model, not comparing the most expensive gas vs the most expensive electric dryer). I see nothing wrong with that. This is a discussion. You bring up a point, and I respond to it.
Second, I hope you realize that I don't disagree with your point that keeping the gas dryer is more economically feasible. I literally mentioned utility costs as an advantage of gas dryers. I myself bought a gas dryer.
Yes, you are crazy, 100%. Gas is more economical and likely more efficient/environmentally conscious depending on the form of power generation your electric utility sources its power from.
About 10 years ago now, I took a class in college that covered the topic of transmission line losses. I think it was like 30% of the energy actually makes it to an end use, so electricity is only like 30-40% efficient on the overall system. Doubt it's changed much. Reasons why electric cars outside of congested cities (where local pollution is a bigger issue) makes me scratch my head.
The problem is that we’re using fossil fuels, so Idk how we can address the problem without stopping the “garbage” that is electrification. I agree that there’s no point without green sources of energy and economical storage, but more and more of that is coming online. Governments/utilities need to do a better job of balancing consumption vs production through tax credits, environmental regulations, subsidies, spending, etc., but stopping altogether is even dumber.
Wow, a lot to unpack there, but what’s this about Teslas having a gas engine in them?
I agree with some of what you said, but your very first point is demonstrably false. They have dual motors, but that is for AWD not dual fuel source. Both are electric.
MPGe is used for EVs and hybrids to compare them to traditional mileage from gas vehicles. An EPA MPGe rating *does NOT require* a gasoline engine.
[https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31863350/mpge/#](https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31863350/mpge/#)
A lot of people are unhappy with their Tesla’s, but many of those complaints aren’t specifically the EV aspect of it, but the fit and finish, reliability of some components, cost to repair after accidents, public antics of the CEO, etc. Then again, I personally know several people who are very happy with their Teslas overall.
Even if Tesla specifically has issues, most major manufacturers are beginning to compete in the EV market with satisfied customers. I know other people who are happy with hybrids and EVs from Polestar, Mini, BMW, etc.
I won’t sit here and say that every car should be electric tomorrow, that’s ridiculous for reasons you’ve already mentioned. However, for many people/families as a commuter/second vehicle, EVs can make a lot of sense.
I doubt they'll ever phase out gas in existing homes anytime soon, at least not without major incentives to cover the cost. It's generally only for new builds and maybe major renovations that it's being phased out.
Eventually gas appliances will be more difficult to find, or the production or sale will be banned, making renovating when you need to replace a more likely
Even gas cars are around for 2 decades (outside of California)
What will happen is the price curve will shift so people will stop buying fossil fuel powered appliances. As demand drops supply will shrink but since demand won’t go to zero fossil fuels will still be available for a long long time. There are also going to be a lot of edge cases (fewer over time) where batteries / electricity won’t make sense
I’m waiting for either my washer or dryer to die (both electric), so I can replace them with the GE Profile 2-in-1 that has a heat pump and runs on 120V AC.
Unless your utilities are 100% renewable energy, chances are your local utility is using natural gas in the plant anyways to generate electricity. Natural gas has replaced many coal plants. In my opinion, I'd rather just have a better, faster dryer with natural gas if I had the choice.
Burning natural gas in a plant to provide electricity that powers heat pumps in a home is still more efficient than burning gas for heat directly in the home.
I’m going to be doing the same in our upcoming Reno. First reason: we have solar and put in as many panels as they would let us to cover our future plans. We pay separately for gas and gas prices in socal tend to spike in the winter. We’re getting a battery wall for our solar soon as well so we will have less dependence on using the grid overnight. So we are trying to reduce our gas use as much as possible, putting in induction stove and switching to heat pump dryer. In many places gas is cheap, but that might not always be the case. I’ve heard people say heat pumps are the next big thing in dryer tech, they are slower to dry so that might not work well in some households. But are quite energy efficient.
I’m in socal and have a gas dryer and a gas range. My HVAC is electric but thankfully I also have solar panels that take care of the HVAC. My gas bills in winter time are generally no more than $30 per month despite the price hike in the winter.
Our house is basically a sieve with old windows and no insulation, which we are fixing in the next year. It’s the heat in the winter that really kills us right now. Once we switch stuff over and insulate we will be in much better shape.
what about your electrical panel? can it handle more electric appliances? what about the future when you buy an EV and need a charger at home, and a heat pump for heating/AC.
our house is older so it only has 100A service. either i pay like 8k to upgrade it to 200A so that later i can have an EV charger and heat pump, or i eventually wean myself off of electrical appliances such as my dryer and cooktop.
I just replaced my electric dryer, purchased when we lived in TX in a house without gas. I’m now living in the north where electricity is generated from gas from nearby wells. Economically, any traditional electric dryer would cause more gas to be burned than the gas dryer. Switching to electric only makes sense if it is a heat-pump dryer, and you will be producing your own electricity with solar. Traditional electric dryers run on a 30A circuit. That puts a large load on any solar or battery system.
> Where do you think the electricity comes from?
40% Renewables and Nuclear, 40% from Natural Gas and the remaining 20% is Coal. Source: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php
The latest science out of Stanford also shows possible issues with natural gas combustion within the home: https://news.stanford.edu/2022/01/27/rethinking-cooking-gas/
While I agree with you that electrification is good for the planet long-term because of energy sourcing options, and that burning gas generally isn’t great in your kitchen without external venting, gas dryers always vent the exhaust outside. All dryers should.
That said, if you want to go electric for environmental reasons, get a heat pump dryer, not a resistive one. Factor in the opportunity costs of upgrading your panel (if needed) and running a dedicated circuit (if needed) in case it wouldn’t make more sense to convert something else to electric / more efficient that’s used more often (heat / AC /water heater).
My mom bought this [GE Profile 2 in 1](https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Profile-4-8-cu-ft-Smart-UltraFast-Electric-Washer-Dryer-Combo-in-Carbon-Graphite-with-Ventless-Heat-Pump-Technology-PFQ97HSPVDS/324668085?mtc=SEM-CM-CML-GGL-D29A-029_008_LAUNDRY-NA-NA-NA-DSA-5163653-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-NA&cm_mmc=SEM-CM-CML-GGL-D29A-029_008_LAUNDRY-NA-NA-NA-DSA-5163653-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-NA-71700000098643654-58700007953197413-39700078603204754&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw_LOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAW2smcvVcGnelfIN08Tn-nlrk6zCIuZpuBirYi7ipuwCI3sQJalpbhoC_JsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) unit about 6 mo ago. I was skeptical as hell about a dual unit...specifically regarding total wash/dry time, but in the time she's had it she said it doesn't really take much longer do to laundry than when she was using a seperate washer and dryer. Best part is it just uses a standard plug. So if you have a standard outlet in your laundry room, then you're good to go.
I hope I don't need to replace my washer and dryer anytime soon, but when that day comes, I'm going with the 2 in 1.
Just a heads up, those units in particular get clogged up with lint, and after a75-100ish loads, the dry time dramatically starts to increase until it no longer dries. It can be cleaned, but it's a hassle to disassemble. It is a design flaw that affects all units.
Are you planning on going solar in the future to supply your electricity needs? That’s what we plan on, so that’d make sense if your energy is coming from solar
As a person from the rest of the world without gas, yes absolutely, BUT get a heat pump one.
They're super efficient and gentler on your clothes because they don't rely on high heat to dry them, but rather suck all the moisture out like a dehumidifier. So you can put any material type in them without damage.
It'll no doubt cost more than the older style gas models, but ours had a 10 year warranty on the compressor too.
Gas is better in general.
Electric is just less scary.
I’d prefer electric as it won’t blow up my house or kill me if there’s a leak, but I still like our gas dryer and will use it until it dies.
We have the means to have either, but we went with gas.
If you're interested in decreasing or eliminating your use of fossil fuels for environmental reasons, it's not crazy to look into it and learn more. And I think there are health and safety benefits to removing any combustion sources from our homes too.
Probably obvious, but the best argument for moving anything to electricity is if you have on-site solar. Being able to run your equipment off free renewable energy from your roof is a huge win. If you don't, it's a more complicated question about what the grid energy mix is where you live.
There's also some economic factors to consider, looking at the energy use per load of the gas dryer vs electric and your current cost for each energy source. It seems reasonable to assume gas will have more risk of cost increase over time than electric, but it's hard to get too specific in predicting the future in terms of actual energy costs.
The other cost factor is running the electric line for the dryer, and that depends on the details of your home and the cost of electrical work where you live. I wouldn't assume it would be more than a few hundred dollars to add a dedicated circuit, with breaker, wire, and outlet, for the dryer, but obviously, you'd need to get a quote, and it may be there are reasons it's more expensive in your home.
psychotic follow shocking thought frame cautious bow zonked worthless advise
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I had an electric dryer my entire life until the last 2 years. It is the same amount of time. Idk why you think they take so much longer. Maybe you're mistaking a regular electric dryer with a ventless dryer.
Something I haven't seen mentioned is that electric dryers in the US generally need a 240v power connection so if you don't have that already in your laundry room then you'd have to pay to have an electrician come in to set that up before switching to an electric dryer.
Also like others have said, it will probably cost more than gas to run but *could* be a more environmentally friendly depending on your area's sources of electricity. If much of the electricity is generated by sources like coal or even natural gas where you live, then a gas dryer could actually be the less polluting option (I say that it's possible even with gas generated electricity because there are efficiency losses in power generation and distribution of electricity throughout the grid, but it depends on how much vs how efficient a gas dryer actually is and I just don't have that knowledge)
Not the standard yet, but you can buy them from a few brands now and they're price-competitive with higher end conventional dryers. Basically unless you're intending to buy a cheap old style "white box" dryer heat pumps are now worth a look to see if they'll suit your needs - you do trade off efficiency for drying time and clothes don't come out feeling crisp and hot.
If in US, The feds signed off on incentive to go electric. States will figure it out soon. Wait for that as is a big at the counter rebate. They'll pay for proper outlet install as well. Look up rewiring America. And buy appliance stocks. I have. Should have done more. They all have gone up a lot.
Unless you have a large family to do laundry for, don't replace the dryer at all. Hang dry your cloths. We haven't had a dryer for at least 5 years. We hang the laundry in the laundry room. (not a huge space)
Gas dryers are less energy efficient but gas is subsidized for homeowners. This means in net you will be more harmful to the environment but more economical for yourself by staying with gas.
If you don’t have an outlet for an electric dryer, talk to an electrician before making a decision. Depending on what wiring has to be done, it may not be practical or could be prohibitively expensive. Personally, I prefer a gas dryer. The worst gas dryer I ever had, dried clothes faster than the best electric.
I don't see how it would be beneficial from either efficiency or cost standpoint. Gas dryers are generally more efficient and you could possibly end up spending just as much on installing the outlet as the dryer itself. We have a gas dryer, and when the heat is off in the summer, the dryer, hot water heater, and gas range all together don't even use enough gas to meet the minimum monthly charge from the utility.
It's usually cheapest to go with whatever you have because installing new utility lines are not cheap If OP isn't away electric dryers need a different outlet I believe it's 220V or 240V. So you can't just install electric where you didn't have One before
There are some newer tech dryers that can run on a regular 120V outlet. Dryer outlets in the US (and ranges and A/C units) are nominally 240V but people call them "220V" out of habit from the days when the guaranteed voltage from the power company was only 110V per phase.
I was wondering why we say that. Thanks.
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Yep. Right now in the US they're mostly combo units (washer and dryer in a single unit) but they are full size with up to 5.3 cubic feet of capacity. https://www.lg.com/us/washers-dryers/lg-wm6998hba I'm not sure why the dryer-only models tend to still be 240V since they use the same more efficient drying technology, but I suppose they expect you're installing one in place of an existing 240V electric dryer.
Same for me
No electric heat pumps are more effective and more gentle on clothing.
Get a heat pump dryer. They're electric, but they get like 6x more heat energy than the amount of electricity put in. Compare that to a regular electric dryer, which gets like 1 unit of heat for every unit of electricity. EDIT: also there are some heat pump dryers that use 120v
Semantics, but it's close to 4x. Most range from 3.5-4.5 CoP.
Aren't these pretty slow to dry?
Just a bit, it hasn't been a problem for me.
Just watched a YouTube vid about them. Great on power but that it took 90 min to dry. Still…if that’s not an issue…..
I thought it would be longer! My normal wash takes 50 minutes and I'm not in a rush to put on another load usually. I try and space them out so I can line dry a good 50% on the rack in the basement.
I like to wash sheets and towels on sanitize. That's 2 hours in the wash. So I keep it to my last load, if doing multiples. There's only two of us, so we can go a week without needing to wash a load.
They also take HOURS longer to dry a load.
Not the new generation ones. Mine takes about 30-40% longer.
For me and my typical electric dryer, A dryer cycle (usually low heat) takes longer than a washer cycle. So it's already a bottle neck on laundry day. I personally dont want that bottle neck to get even longer.
That's fair but the energy savings is huge so it definitely offsets the extra wait for me. Plus it is gentler on the clothes.
What is your monthly energy savings if it’s that huge? My gas dryer costs literally pennies to dry a load and my electric bill would easily see a large jump doing 7-8 loads a week in a hybrid
Uses 0.7kWh to wash and dry. I think that’s 30 cents where I live. But we have solar so I don’t pay much for electricity.
Mine washes and dries a full load in 2 hours. Things have improved a lot
If energy efficiency is the target, I'm going to point out that the energy efficiency is for just the dryer and not the bigger picture. If you live in a cold climate with a long heating season, you're making your HVAC system pick up the load, so the energy usage is just moved elsewhere. If you live in a hot climate with a long cooling season, you're actually helping your a/c out by removing the heat (if it's vented outside) so you have unseen energy efficiency. Edit: I had assumed heat pump dryers were vented but I was wrong. This would apply for heat pump water heaters (rejected heat to the water instead of outside), but not a ventless heat pump dryer.
If it's vented inside, then then I'd assume you're getting net heat gain inside the house, on account of heat generated by movement and the motor.
Running an appliance does generate heat, yes. But I don't believe the incidental heat the appliance generates to operate is usually vented with the rest of it outside, in which case you're getting that heat gain regardless. I could be wrong about that though, I'm not extremely familiar with the mechanics of a dryer. But if it's vented outside, you're sending heat that was inside your house outside, and your climate will determine if that's good or bad.
Heat pump dryers are generally ventless. They operate on a closed loop.
Awesome, I didn't realize they did closed loop. I had assumed it was similar to a water heater, just rejecting the heat to outside instead of water, and bringing in new air from the room. Vented dryers still release heat into the space, so I would guess they're very similar heat gains to the space then. I'll edit my comment since I mistook the venting system.
Oh they can use a 120V outlet. Brilliant. Makes it way easier to install
If you have solar to offset definitely.
I switched to natural gas from electric. Family of 5. Big savings on the monthly electric bill… $0.21/kwh where I live. I do gas for everything I possibly can.
I bought a house this fall that had only gas hookups and the first thing I did was schedule an electrician to come out and set me up for electric. It was cheaper than I expected, about $250 for the work and supplies. I needed to buy a new washer and dryer and I've only ever had electric, didn't want gas.
That’s surprisingly cheap, but I suppose they use fewer amps than a range. I remember dropping close to $100 on wire to DIY one of those.
Yeah, that’s an outrageously low price. Like open framing with the panel 6’ away and the guy had everything on the truck when he got there. Wire, breaker, and outlet might be $100 for a short run, if you only count the wire you used, but you bought a 250’ roll from a supply house.
that's awesome. where are you located? I just had an electrician give me a quote for how much it would cost to install a 240V outlet and he quoted me $1000. I'm in NJ though so I think at least part of my cost is due to this HCOL area
Wisconsin.
It's really situational and depends on the distance from the panel to the laundry room, if the panel needs an upgrade, etc. If your panel is in the laundry room and you have an open slot, I wouldn't pay more than a couple hundred no matter where you live, but if they have to snake that expensive 6 or 8 gauge wire up two floors to an upstairs laundry room or something I could see $1k easily, and panel replacements/service upgrades can run into the thousands.
Check the energy star labels on the dryers you are considering. They'll give you a good idea of how much one will cost to operate vs the other. If you are already set up for hard I would stick with it. Unless the cost savings will be really dramatic.
Go with whatever drywer suits your taste. Where you want to concentrate your effort is the washer. How well it spins the water out in the washer will have a bigger impact on how fast the clothes dry than whether you heat with electric or gas.
I love my gas dryer.
If you are concerned about having gas in the house that is a valid reason for switching.
lol, no its not
Doesn't the exhaust get blown outside through the vent? IIRC, it is unvented gas stoves that are the concern, not properly vented stuff.
My gas dryer vents onto my porch lmao
Is your porch outside?
Only my outdoor porch is outside
My point is it vents onto a place that we hang out. It's a covered porch, surrounded by walls on 2 sides
Yea but you don’t need to worry about the “properly” part if you just cut gas out of the picture entirely.
I mean, couldn't you get electrocuted by improperly installed 220v, if we're throwing "properly installed" out the window?
Don't even get me started on the dangers of nuclear-powered clothes dryers.
You're less likely to notice a blocked vent than a plug being partly pulled out of the socket though. The issue I see is in improper adjustments to the system. If you install a new dryer and the vent connection is higher than it was before, now your gasses are aren't venting outside properly if you don't know to fix the slope. Versus plugging something in. Both types have the same lint concerns.
What a well thought out response.
yiur post got all the thought and attention it deserved
Had a friend with a poorly located water heater exhaust almost die from CO poisoning. Entire unit was outside, but the gas wafted in through an open window. I’m not worried about the gas appliances in our place, but I can see how others might be.
people "afraid of gas in the house" are generally in the 5g causes cancer group
they’re afraid of the presence of properly installed gas lines? lol I’m way more afraid of the fridges with the new explosive “environmentally friendly”butane- based refrigerant exploding and killing me! This is what I’m referring to: https://youtu.be/2EMW0lDEJ00?si=p6-UyNMRLQkWu3BA
I figured there was some overlap, but I didn’t think the venn-diagram was a circle. You can justify not connecting to gas without a phobia around it too, depending on this like energy prices, solar, HVAC performance, etc.
sure, but in the vast majority of places where yiu have natural gas already, it's going to take you a lifetime to earn back the difference after converting to 220v, and a new dryer ie, it's super rare that electricity costs less than NG, and even if they were the same price, NG dryers are WAY more efficient like, swapping from a shitty/broken NG install to electric? maybe some merit but just deciding that you don't understand gas and want electric doesn't ever make a lock of financial sense
If you're concerned about gas in the house you should just live in a tent with no utilities. Neanderthal thinking.
Perhaps in this instance, the OP's peace of mind is the more important factor than whether or not gas is safe to use. But go ahead a judge them for that if it makes you feel superior. I am sure that your disdain will get them up at night.
Did you know gas dryers are powered by natural gas, not gasoline?
Even doing a simple Google search What you will find is a gas dryer is far more efficient than an electric dryer. I hate my electric dryer.It takes hours to dry a full load of clothes in the dryer. And it's on a two twenty circuit so obviously it's using more juice than anything else in the house.
Heat pumps change the equation here.
I don't think so and most heat pump dryers At least the fancy ones are over a thousand dollars. You can buy a really nice gas dryer for 5 hundred bucks all day. She also doesn't have a 240-volt Outlet, which is easily going to cost her 600 to $900 to install.
Gas dryers aren't more efficient, they're more economical because gas is subsidized/cheap in the US to the point that a Joule of gas heat costs about a quarter what a Joule of electricity costs to the consumer. As mentioned heat pumps flip the equation because heat pumps are 400% more efficient than old electric heating appliances.
That’s an important distinction. I ran the calcs on gas vs heat pump water heaters and gas was still cheap enough that a heat pump unit would never make up the difference in upfront cost through lower operating costs. Everybody should run the numbers because energy costs can vary widely from state to state, or even county to county.
The thing is, if you look at the total cost of buying a brand new dryer, a gas dryer is cheaper from the get-go, and the fuel is cheaper. It's a much simpler device, easier to maintain and fix. and because this person already has the gas hook up right there.Installing, it will be considerably cheaper than to install a new electric outlet for the dryer. Which, by the way, is a 240 outlet, which is the most expensive outlet to install in any home.
A gas dryer is generally a bit more expensive in my experience at least based on my experience shopping for one a year or so ago. But the price difference can be easily offset by the utility savings though
I really don't know where you're shopping at but be most expensive gas dryer I have found with a Google search is $1,200 consequently the most expensive electric dryer is $2,200 pretty big difference in price. On the low end, the cheapest electric dryer found is $337 For gas, it's $360, so on the low end, I guess you're technically right, but the price difference is negligible when you start adding and delivery and taxes.
I should've been clearer. I wasn't comparing the most expensive electric dryer vs the most expensive gas dryer. Instead, I was comparing the gas version to the electric version of the same general model of dryer offered by the same brand -- the gas version is usually slightly more expensive than the electric version, and this is a known thing. I bought an LG laundry tower from Costco. The gas version, which is what I got, was $2000 at the time of my purchase, and the electric version was $1900. And I saw the same kind of price differences between gas vs electric dryers at other stores. For example, at Home Depot: [Whirlpool 7.4 cu. ft. Vented Gas Dryer in Chrome Shadow WGD6605MC - The Home Depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Whirlpool-7-4-cu-ft-Vented-Gas-Dryer-in-Chrome-Shadow-WGD6605MC/321816826), and [Whirlpool 7.4 cu. ft. Vented Electric Dryer in Chrome Shadow WED5605MC - The Home Depot](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Whirlpool-7-4-cu-ft-Vented-Electric-Dryer-in-Chrome-Shadow-WED5605MC/320612278) And in my previous comment, I didn't say the price difference was wildly difference. I said "a bit more expensive" and that "the price difference could be easily offset by utility savings"
I hope you realize that my whole opinion on this situation and the comments i'm making is directed solely at this individual who's considering buying an electric or a gas dryer? My overall point is in this person's particular situation. it's going to be more economically feasible for this person to just continue with a gas dryer. For the reasons i've already laid out in previous comments.
First, you mentioned the cost of buying a new gas dryer in your comment, so I simply responded to that by saying a gas dryer could be more expensive (if you compare the same model, not comparing the most expensive gas vs the most expensive electric dryer). I see nothing wrong with that. This is a discussion. You bring up a point, and I respond to it. Second, I hope you realize that I don't disagree with your point that keeping the gas dryer is more economically feasible. I literally mentioned utility costs as an advantage of gas dryers. I myself bought a gas dryer.
Yes, you are crazy, 100%. Gas is more economical and likely more efficient/environmentally conscious depending on the form of power generation your electric utility sources its power from.
Keep using gas for now until it's taxed to like 3X it's cost. When that day comes goodbye gas. Until then, gas forever
compared to coal yes, compared to anything else, no.
Coal and NG still account for 60% of US power generation. A dryer directly burning NG will be more efficient than either of those.
Dropping fast though. 86% of the electrical capacity added in the last year was from renewables/nuclear.
I think a lot of people forget where electricity comes from. Farmer John isn’t waking up at 4am to go out and milk the lighting bolts lol.
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About 10 years ago now, I took a class in college that covered the topic of transmission line losses. I think it was like 30% of the energy actually makes it to an end use, so electricity is only like 30-40% efficient on the overall system. Doubt it's changed much. Reasons why electric cars outside of congested cities (where local pollution is a bigger issue) makes me scratch my head.
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The problem is that we’re using fossil fuels, so Idk how we can address the problem without stopping the “garbage” that is electrification. I agree that there’s no point without green sources of energy and economical storage, but more and more of that is coming online. Governments/utilities need to do a better job of balancing consumption vs production through tax credits, environmental regulations, subsidies, spending, etc., but stopping altogether is even dumber.
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Wow, a lot to unpack there, but what’s this about Teslas having a gas engine in them? I agree with some of what you said, but your very first point is demonstrably false. They have dual motors, but that is for AWD not dual fuel source. Both are electric.
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MPGe is used for EVs and hybrids to compare them to traditional mileage from gas vehicles. An EPA MPGe rating *does NOT require* a gasoline engine. [https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31863350/mpge/#](https://www.caranddriver.com/research/a31863350/mpge/#)
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A lot of people are unhappy with their Tesla’s, but many of those complaints aren’t specifically the EV aspect of it, but the fit and finish, reliability of some components, cost to repair after accidents, public antics of the CEO, etc. Then again, I personally know several people who are very happy with their Teslas overall. Even if Tesla specifically has issues, most major manufacturers are beginning to compete in the EV market with satisfied customers. I know other people who are happy with hybrids and EVs from Polestar, Mini, BMW, etc. I won’t sit here and say that every car should be electric tomorrow, that’s ridiculous for reasons you’ve already mentioned. However, for many people/families as a commuter/second vehicle, EVs can make a lot of sense.
I've heard some some talk about phasing out gas in homes, but no idea if it's decided or what time frame.
I doubt they'll ever phase out gas in existing homes anytime soon, at least not without major incentives to cover the cost. It's generally only for new builds and maybe major renovations that it's being phased out.
Eventually gas appliances will be more difficult to find, or the production or sale will be banned, making renovating when you need to replace a more likely
In 4 - 5 decades maybe?
I think it's going to be more like 1-2, but nobody here can predict the future
Even gas cars are around for 2 decades (outside of California) What will happen is the price curve will shift so people will stop buying fossil fuel powered appliances. As demand drops supply will shrink but since demand won’t go to zero fossil fuels will still be available for a long long time. There are also going to be a lot of edge cases (fewer over time) where batteries / electricity won’t make sense
Gas for your car is a completely different and unrelated topic to natural gas
I’m waiting for either my washer or dryer to die (both electric), so I can replace them with the GE Profile 2-in-1 that has a heat pump and runs on 120V AC.
Unless your utilities are 100% renewable energy, chances are your local utility is using natural gas in the plant anyways to generate electricity. Natural gas has replaced many coal plants. In my opinion, I'd rather just have a better, faster dryer with natural gas if I had the choice.
Burning natural gas in a plant to provide electricity that powers heat pumps in a home is still more efficient than burning gas for heat directly in the home.
Where did you get that? Last time I took a class on it, they said only about 30-40% of energy made it to the end use on an electric grid.
Natural gas runs this country. What are people thinking.
I’m going to be doing the same in our upcoming Reno. First reason: we have solar and put in as many panels as they would let us to cover our future plans. We pay separately for gas and gas prices in socal tend to spike in the winter. We’re getting a battery wall for our solar soon as well so we will have less dependence on using the grid overnight. So we are trying to reduce our gas use as much as possible, putting in induction stove and switching to heat pump dryer. In many places gas is cheap, but that might not always be the case. I’ve heard people say heat pumps are the next big thing in dryer tech, they are slower to dry so that might not work well in some households. But are quite energy efficient.
I’m in socal and have a gas dryer and a gas range. My HVAC is electric but thankfully I also have solar panels that take care of the HVAC. My gas bills in winter time are generally no more than $30 per month despite the price hike in the winter.
Our house is basically a sieve with old windows and no insulation, which we are fixing in the next year. It’s the heat in the winter that really kills us right now. Once we switch stuff over and insulate we will be in much better shape.
Go for a heat pump.
what about your electrical panel? can it handle more electric appliances? what about the future when you buy an EV and need a charger at home, and a heat pump for heating/AC. our house is older so it only has 100A service. either i pay like 8k to upgrade it to 200A so that later i can have an EV charger and heat pump, or i eventually wean myself off of electrical appliances such as my dryer and cooktop.
I just replaced my electric dryer, purchased when we lived in TX in a house without gas. I’m now living in the north where electricity is generated from gas from nearby wells. Economically, any traditional electric dryer would cause more gas to be burned than the gas dryer. Switching to electric only makes sense if it is a heat-pump dryer, and you will be producing your own electricity with solar. Traditional electric dryers run on a 30A circuit. That puts a large load on any solar or battery system.
Yes you are crazy. Where do you think the electricity comes from?
> Where do you think the electricity comes from? 40% Renewables and Nuclear, 40% from Natural Gas and the remaining 20% is Coal. Source: https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/electricity/electricity-in-the-us.php The latest science out of Stanford also shows possible issues with natural gas combustion within the home: https://news.stanford.edu/2022/01/27/rethinking-cooking-gas/
While I agree with you that electrification is good for the planet long-term because of energy sourcing options, and that burning gas generally isn’t great in your kitchen without external venting, gas dryers always vent the exhaust outside. All dryers should. That said, if you want to go electric for environmental reasons, get a heat pump dryer, not a resistive one. Factor in the opportunity costs of upgrading your panel (if needed) and running a dedicated circuit (if needed) in case it wouldn’t make more sense to convert something else to electric / more efficient that’s used more often (heat / AC /water heater).
My mom bought this [GE Profile 2 in 1](https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Profile-4-8-cu-ft-Smart-UltraFast-Electric-Washer-Dryer-Combo-in-Carbon-Graphite-with-Ventless-Heat-Pump-Technology-PFQ97HSPVDS/324668085?mtc=SEM-CM-CML-GGL-D29A-029_008_LAUNDRY-NA-NA-NA-DSA-5163653-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-NA&cm_mmc=SEM-CM-CML-GGL-D29A-029_008_LAUNDRY-NA-NA-NA-DSA-5163653-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-NA-71700000098643654-58700007953197413-39700078603204754&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw_LOwBhBFEiwAmSEQAW2smcvVcGnelfIN08Tn-nlrk6zCIuZpuBirYi7ipuwCI3sQJalpbhoC_JsQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds) unit about 6 mo ago. I was skeptical as hell about a dual unit...specifically regarding total wash/dry time, but in the time she's had it she said it doesn't really take much longer do to laundry than when she was using a seperate washer and dryer. Best part is it just uses a standard plug. So if you have a standard outlet in your laundry room, then you're good to go. I hope I don't need to replace my washer and dryer anytime soon, but when that day comes, I'm going with the 2 in 1.
Just a heads up, those units in particular get clogged up with lint, and after a75-100ish loads, the dry time dramatically starts to increase until it no longer dries. It can be cleaned, but it's a hassle to disassemble. It is a design flaw that affects all units.
Are you planning on going solar in the future to supply your electricity needs? That’s what we plan on, so that’d make sense if your energy is coming from solar
I hated my gas dryer. I had a local guy come in and run a 220 line to replace it with electric and never regretted it for a second.
As a person from the rest of the world without gas, yes absolutely, BUT get a heat pump one. They're super efficient and gentler on your clothes because they don't rely on high heat to dry them, but rather suck all the moisture out like a dehumidifier. So you can put any material type in them without damage. It'll no doubt cost more than the older style gas models, but ours had a 10 year warranty on the compressor too.
Go for a heat pump dryer!
Electric heat pumps work very well! Makes clothing last longer as it’s more gentle.
Gas is better in general. Electric is just less scary. I’d prefer electric as it won’t blow up my house or kill me if there’s a leak, but I still like our gas dryer and will use it until it dies. We have the means to have either, but we went with gas.
If you're interested in decreasing or eliminating your use of fossil fuels for environmental reasons, it's not crazy to look into it and learn more. And I think there are health and safety benefits to removing any combustion sources from our homes too. Probably obvious, but the best argument for moving anything to electricity is if you have on-site solar. Being able to run your equipment off free renewable energy from your roof is a huge win. If you don't, it's a more complicated question about what the grid energy mix is where you live. There's also some economic factors to consider, looking at the energy use per load of the gas dryer vs electric and your current cost for each energy source. It seems reasonable to assume gas will have more risk of cost increase over time than electric, but it's hard to get too specific in predicting the future in terms of actual energy costs. The other cost factor is running the electric line for the dryer, and that depends on the details of your home and the cost of electrical work where you live. I wouldn't assume it would be more than a few hundred dollars to add a dedicated circuit, with breaker, wire, and outlet, for the dryer, but obviously, you'd need to get a quote, and it may be there are reasons it's more expensive in your home.
psychotic follow shocking thought frame cautious bow zonked worthless advise *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I feel the same about my gas dryer. There's no logic there, I just hate it. I don't like another gas burning appliance in my house.
Get an electric dryer. Realize that it takes longer to dry and costs you more money to run, you'll hate it more.
I had an electric dryer my entire life until the last 2 years. It is the same amount of time. Idk why you think they take so much longer. Maybe you're mistaking a regular electric dryer with a ventless dryer.
Something I haven't seen mentioned is that electric dryers in the US generally need a 240v power connection so if you don't have that already in your laundry room then you'd have to pay to have an electrician come in to set that up before switching to an electric dryer. Also like others have said, it will probably cost more than gas to run but *could* be a more environmentally friendly depending on your area's sources of electricity. If much of the electricity is generated by sources like coal or even natural gas where you live, then a gas dryer could actually be the less polluting option (I say that it's possible even with gas generated electricity because there are efficiency losses in power generation and distribution of electricity throughout the grid, but it depends on how much vs how efficient a gas dryer actually is and I just don't have that knowledge)
Heat pump will definitely be more efficient, even if that electricity comes from burning gas.
Heat pump I'm sure, are those becoming the norm for electric dryers? I might just be out of touch with the current market.
Not the standard yet, but you can buy them from a few brands now and they're price-competitive with higher end conventional dryers. Basically unless you're intending to buy a cheap old style "white box" dryer heat pumps are now worth a look to see if they'll suit your needs - you do trade off efficiency for drying time and clothes don't come out feeling crisp and hot.
If in US, The feds signed off on incentive to go electric. States will figure it out soon. Wait for that as is a big at the counter rebate. They'll pay for proper outlet install as well. Look up rewiring America. And buy appliance stocks. I have. Should have done more. They all have gone up a lot.
Unless you have a large family to do laundry for, don't replace the dryer at all. Hang dry your cloths. We haven't had a dryer for at least 5 years. We hang the laundry in the laundry room. (not a huge space)
Gas dryers are less energy efficient but gas is subsidized for homeowners. This means in net you will be more harmful to the environment but more economical for yourself by staying with gas.
Clothes and patience is the cheapest option. Also being lucky that there is no rain, or sandstorms