Natural gas?

[Sigarms]

We're downsizing house and property after being here for over 20 years.

New home is still rural, but closer to larger town and a lot more homes on the road to what I've been used to.

Wife noticed a gas line on the new road, so I called the local natural gas company. Turns out if I convert the heating system to gas, they would hook up a gas line to the home at no charge. HVAC needs to be replaced, and I'd have no qualms going with a dual fuel system with gas furnace and heat pump.

Big plus to my wife is this home is a total renovation (built in 1962 and still looks it) so new kitchen and she's liking the idea of a natural gas stove for cooking.

I'm 60, and I don't think neither my wife and I have ever lived in a home using natural gas. Current home is propane, and only use it for one gas furnace in the attic and a tankless water heater and a vent free fireplace we rarely use. New home has electric water heater and a oil furnace that is coming out no matter what.

Although I hate LP pricing, do love our tankless water heater and honestly don't care for the fact that this new home is 100% electric except for that oil furnace. Since the house is going to get new electrical and plumbing, at this point, don't really see a issue with running a gas line in the "new" home. New home single story with unfinished basement which I'm liking because you can see everything in the basement.

So the dumb question is there any reason why not to use natural gas if it's available?

 

[Rockbadchild]

I don't know how expensive Natural gas is or electricity for you but for us the cheapest you can have is natural gas and its such of a peace of mind, I don't think there's any downside. I would run everything you can on natural gas, furnace, hot water, BBQ grill, stove you name it I would run it. I have a fireplace that even run without electricity.

 

[Carl_NH]

Concur with Rockbad - no downside; the fireplaces are nice, and the new inserts put out a lot of heat!

 

[RjCorazza]

We switched one hvac zone from all electric heat pump to electric with natural gas "emergency" heat that kicks on at 40 degrees f.
We also swapped out the old electric stove with gas, which the wife and daughter really enjoyed.
Heating with natural gas also made it possible to keep the house heated with no power and my (then) 7kw generator,

 

[bdhsfz6]

This may or may not be an issue where you live but my folks converted their retirement home to natural gas in the 1990's. The gas company ran the line for free and they did save money over their previous all electric home.

The first winter, the gas pressure would drop when the temperature dropped into the teens and their gas furnace wouldn't put out enough heat. It turned out the gas mains were sized too small for the community they served. Many customers complained but the gas company did nothing. My folks had to supplement the gas heat with portable electric heaters on cold days.

It might be a good idea to talk to the neighbors to see if this is an issue where you are.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

We brought natural gas into our house during our addition/reno last summer. It was available at the street and they brought it in for free, so why not? We put in an on demand gas water heater and were planning on going gas stove but switched to induction stove at the 11th hour. I see no disadvantage to doing it, especially if it is free and you want to do on demand water heater.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I would pay to get natural gas at my property... even a gas hot water tank is a lot better then a electric one.

 

[Sigarms]

This may or may not be an issue where you live but my folks converted their retirement home to natural gas in the 1990's. The gas company ran the line for free and they did save money over their previous all electric home.

The first winter, the gas pressure would drop when the temperature dropped into the teens and their gas furnace wouldn't put out enough heat. It turned out the gas mains were sized too small for the community they served. Many customers complained but the gas company did nothing. My folks had to supplement the gas heat with portable electric heaters on cold days.

It might be a good idea to talk to the neighbors to see if this is an issue where you are.

Thanks, would never have thought of that.

That said, average January temp in the town (coldest month in the area) is perhaps low 30's (having lived in Schuylkill and Crawford counties in Pa, I can personally attest to the fact that it's colder in Pa in the winter time ).

Besides that, heat pump I'd put in would handle it down to about 10F no problem. I'd just throw the gas furnace on so I could get a free hookup (most gas consumption would be stove and possibly a tankless water heater).

 

[4570Man]

Natural gas probably cost half what electric does for heating. Natural gas also doesn’t go out all the time like electric does.

 

[BackRoad]

We built new, and happy with natural gas for almost everything, though my wife wanted an electric clothes dryer. No reason other than concern that gas flames and dryer lint didn't mix together well.

Also went with a dual source range, gas for stove top cooking and an electric oven. Something about wanting the electric for the self cleaning oven function and more stable temps when baking.

I've learned to pick the battles wisely and this made no difference to me. The inside implements are an area wives likely care more about than husbands...

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I have a dual fuel heat pump unit. First year it dropped down to about 25 the house started getting colder instead of warmer... I had the thermo set for Automatic (it keeps the house in a range between x and Y and determines what is needed to get there). THis was a new unit installed in a previously NON hvac house. Come to find out with a heat pump it no likee the automatic setting when it gets below 30. It was SUPPOSED to flip to using LP then. It got confused. I changed it to heat mode and wella the problem went away.

 

[DarkBlack]

This may or may not be an issue where you live but my folks converted their retirement home to natural gas in the 1990's. The gas company ran the line for free and they did save money over their previous all electric home.

The first winter, the gas pressure would drop when the temperature dropped into the teens and their gas furnace wouldn't put out enough heat. It turned out the gas mains were sized too small for the community they served. Many customers complained but the gas company did nothing. My folks had to supplement the gas heat with portable electric heaters on cold days.

It might be a good idea to talk to the neighbors to see if this is an issue where you are.

In New England, the NG pipelines are limited because, people didn’t want additional pipelines from the south running through “their backyards”.
As a consequence, during really cold winter days, electric generation that normally runs on cheap NG, must by rule, throttle back to maintain residential heating customers as priority. Much more expensive #2 is used to supplement the electric grid.
It ends up , counterintuitively , causing cold winter realtime grid prices to exceed hot summer electric prices, when you’d expect AC loads to raise grid prices, but during hot weather, the cheap NG can be fully used for electricity

 

[civilian]

With natural gas you usually don't have to worry running low like you do with propane. With propane you need to worry about running low and scheduling deliveries. We had to run the propane generator for 16 days during our recent ice storm this spring. And yes they had to bring more out. I wish I had natural gas but no local service lines in my area and probably never will be. Jon

 

[JeepHead]

Our home is on NG for furnace, water heater, fireplace, and the stove and oven. We really enjoy the NG which is pretty cheap to run. Doesn't hurt that my best friend is the local NG tech for the gas company either.

 

[jyoutz]

I don't know how expensive Natural gas is or electricity for you but for us the cheapest you can have is natural gas and its such of a peace of mind, I don't think there's any downside. I would run everything you can on natural gas, furnace, hot water, BBQ grill, stove you name it I would run it. I have a fireplace that even run without electricity.

I do the same. Natural gas is so cheap. I have a gas stove, tankless water heater, furnace, free standing fireplace/stove, and barbecue grill. My year round level payment plan is $45/month. Nothing is cheaper.

Edit: I will add that prior to doing the propane to natural gas conversion I was spending over $125/month on propane plus buying 2 tons of wood pellets annually.

 

[IXLR8]

I have propane for tankless hot water, gas stove and backup heat for the heat pump. I am in the process of pulling the tankless water heater and putting in a heat pump water heater. Cost less to run and I'll get hot water faster. My cost for propane is about $4.25/gal.

 

[Rockbadchild]

I do the same. Natural gas is so cheap. I have a gas stove, tankless water heater, furnace, free standing fireplace/stove, and barbecue grill. My year round level payment plan is $45/month. Nothing is cheaper.

Mine used to be that cheep but it skyrocket in the last 10 years with their carbon tax but still way cheaper then electricity

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I have propane for tankless hot water, gas stove and backup heat for the heat pump. I am in the process of pulling the tankless water heater and putting in a heat pump water heater. Cost less to run and I'll get hot water faster. My cost for propane is about $4.25/gal.

In hindsight I wish I would have done a heat pump water heater. The hot water lag KILLS me on our tankless. So much so that I will have a work around by the winter. Planning on a recirc pump with a cold water bypass.

 

[repete]

I am depressed reading this as I am from Washington State where they have made installation of virtually all new natural gas appliances illegal. We must use electricity whilst at the same time they are wanting to tear out the hydroelectric dams... Diesel is $5.30/gallon...

 

[arto98607]

We have lived in our current house for over 30 years and it's all electric with geothermal, no gas and I am glad we don't have it!

Three of our previous houses were built in the 70's and early 80's & each had natural gas with their original old style furnace.

I don't miss the burning hot heat from the registers, or the occasional smell of gas near the furnace when it had just fired up & started heating.

I realize the new gas furnaces are way better and light years ahead, but sorry I prefer geothermal.