Gas stove/oven in a home on Vancouver Island?

Question

We will be moving from Britain to Canada and looking at real estate websites it seems most ovens and stoves in Canada are electric.

We prefer to cook with gas - is this common in Canada? Speciflcally Vancouver Island? Presumably if there is a gas fireplace we can have the gas connected to a stove/oven?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer 1

Most people do prefer to cook with electric out here, but it is not much of a problem to purchase a stove and connect it to gas.  The company you would need to speak with would be Terasen Gas.  They do all the gas hook ups on Vancouver Island.

Answer 2

I just moved here also. I have not seen any places with gas stoves, but in all reality you should be able too have a gas stove in your house. If you check out this website below this is where I bought some of my appliances they could tell you what you might need too convert.

Answer 3

Yes, we have it.  I grew up in BC with Gas.  I have lived on VI for the last several years, and yes it is less popular here.  In fact my last place had just that, a gas fireplace then electric stove and heating.  Historically, BC is Gas rich.  But historically it is electric Richer!  And clean hydro electric.  

It was a big effort getting the pipeline to VI and getting the gas to less populated areas. And they are allowed to charge for that service.  People complain about the cost, yet I know it is nowhere near the cost charged in Northern BC for gas.  So, you are about to install a new stove, and you have a choice of gas or electric.  Gas is slightly more expensive, and continually has the threat for the price to shoot up some day.  Generally new customers don't switch over....

Yes, if you buy a place with a gas fireplace, thus have gas connections you can convert the rest, at the price of installation of gas connections to the areas your other appliances are.

Answer 4

Vancouver Island got gas service only fairly recently as these things go, so many houses were built before it arrived and most people wouldn't convert without a pressing reason. Whether a particular area has it will depend on how old the area is, how densely built it is(they won't run a gas line for 3 houses if the owners don't want to pay individually for that) and so on. Gas isn't so common in BC as in Britain though you will certainly find it in most areas of Vancouver. It seems to be more popular for heating than for cooking. If you can't get piped gas where you live, you can always get propane which you can run from a very large tank or a very small one according to need. I have friends who installed a propane cooktop and find it very economical to run. I think they have a 20-lb tank and re-fill it twice a year. Propane doesn't run quite as hot as gas, I believe, but my friends tell me they haven't noticed it being a problem. She edits cookbooks so cooks quite a bit. One advantage of having gas or propane is that you can have the fireplace or whatever to provide heat when(notice I say when, not if) the power goes out in winter storms.That happens a few times every winter in most parts of Vancouver Island.