Multiple surveys show that energy efficiency is a top priority for homebuyers, from millennials to baby boomers. Natural gas appliances can help meet these preferences.
Although both electric and natural gas appliances have become more energy efficient, natural gas appliances still have some important advantages over electric units.
- Households with natural gas heating, cooking and clothes drying appliances save an average of $879 per year compared to homes using electricity for those applications, according to the American Gas Association (AGA).
- The direct use of natural gas for water heating, cooking and clothes-drying has significantly fewer energy losses compared with electricity. Converting fossil fuels into electricity is 36% efficient whereas natural gas has a wellhead-to-burner-tip efficiency of 91%.
- Gas water heaters raise the water temperature faster and are less expensive to operate than electric resistance models.
- On average, you can dry two loads of clothes in a natural gas dryer for the same cost of drying one load of clothes in an electric one.
- It costs about twice as much to cook on an electric range as it does on a similar natural gas range. More importantly, natural gas offers instant, precise temperature control and more even heat than electric ranges.
Gas is also a domestic energy source that’s safe and reliable. With all of these selling points, you should have no trouble making the case for natural gas to homebuyers.