Are electric water heaters better than natural gas water heaters?

Question

We have an electric water heater that supplies on-demand water heating. I know on-demand is good but I need to know which is better, electric or natural gas?

Answer 1

In many areas gas is currently higher than electricity. Gas water heaters emit carbon monoxide and other by products to the outdoor air, and consume oxygen from the air.

Answer 2

The electric heater will cost you the most to operate.  But if your heater gets limed up and it is gas, then you'll get premature tank failure, and this may offset any savings on energy. So you see, there are factors to consider before saying which is best.  My choice would be the gas heater, but I also would check to see how the lime build up was after a year to know what to do in the future.

Answer 3

i have had both electric and gas water heaters.  I honestly love my gas one better.  Not only do I get hot water faster, but there is no trouble in 2 people taking showers, the dishwasher running and the washing machine (if using warm water).

As to which is better - you hear gas is, but I think it is more of personal opinion.

Answer 4

I believe the best water heater is solar.  There is no cost after the initial installation and no need to use gas or electricity.  My mother has one in her house and she has never been without hot water.  It also reduced her power bill significantly.  If using an electric or gas water heater, try using a timer.  Normaly, the water heater is running 24 hours a day.  It doesn't need to.  We have a timer on ours that is set for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening.  If we have a need for more time we simply push a button and the water is hot within 15 minutes.  This has cut our power bill by approximately 12-$18 dollars a month.

Answer 5

If you already own an electric on-demand water heater, it is more efficient than a gas water heater.

However, if a person were purchasing a water heater, the better choice would depend on initial cost of the water heater, as well as the cost of electric or natural gas service.

I like my natural gas heater and would not go to the expense of an on-demand heater, although they sound really nice.  

The natural gas heater has the benefit of working during power outages.  This was appreciated by me during the hurricanes.  At least I could take a hot shower and drink some slightly warm instant coffee.

Answer 6

gas are better

Answer 7

Depends on what makes the electricity to power the electric water heater.

Burning natural gas is way cleaner than burning coal, and it doesn't leave the incredibly unnatural waste of nuclear power plants.

But if you can run your water heater, on, say, sun (rooftop water heaters are popular and even mandated in some parts of the world) or wind power, go with that.

As far as the quality, I'd say gas.  Gas is toasty warm and you might be able to run it if the electric's off--I know my parents' furnace still works if the electric's off, though the fan thing on it doesn't blow.

But on-demand is better than a tank-style.

So, barring green energy water heating, I'd say a tankless gas water heater.

Answer 8

yes they are alot more efficient. on demand water heating cuts costs by up to 50 percent but if you are switching from gas to electric tankless or on demand heaters it will likely be expensive. if you are building new construction then tankless natural gas or tankless electric is the way to go, they are way more efficient and cost effective.

Answer 9

Gas by far. Gas is cheaper for heating water

heaters. Period.  I have tried both.

Answer 10

I've used natural gas water heaters all my life, because (as you know) they are the most common.  About 5 years ago my brother and I were remodeling a house and decided that the gas water heater was taking up too much space.  We weren't sure how good an electric water heater would work.  My initial thought was that it can't be as good or people would use them more than gas.  After we installed it, I come to find that they work VERY good.  Everyone that used the shower really liked the fact that they could take a shower as long as they wished, without running out of hot water.  It really comes in handy if you have several people waiting in line to use the shower or if someone in the house wants to do laundry or dishes while you're showering.  You literally have an endless supply of hot.  As for the cost to operate, I'm not personally sure.  I think companies who sell electrical water heaters claim they don't cost much to operate because they're only on when you need them (unlike a gas water heater).  I would imagine that electric water heaters could be safer but I'm not sure.  I say that because gas water heaters can explode if something goes wrong AND the pressure relief valvue doesn't work.  The last good point about electrical water heaters is that they take up far less space.  You can mount it on an outside wall and use the space inside for something else.  As a side benefit, they usually come with a thermostat, so you can adjust the water to the exact temperature you want.  

In short, I think the electric water heater is better.

Answer 11

I don't think your question is which is cheapest to use, I sense you are inquiring about ecological effects.

Using gas at home burns fossil fuel and pollutes the air.

Using electricity at home usually means that a power plant somewhere is burning coal, oil or natural gas and polluting the air.

I am advised that heating water at home with gas is more efficient in the consumption of natural gas than having a power company burn natural gas to create electricity and then having electricity transmission losses along the way to my home.

Electric is probably better from an air pollution standpoint if you obtain your electricity from a nuclear power, wind power or solar power generating station.

Answer 12

It is natural gas heater because....

Clean

Reliable

Good Value

Safe

Read more on the link below and see why