We have electric radiant floor heating and electric domestic hot water (after an expensive failed Rube Goldberg attempt years ago at solar thermal tubes with air-water heat pump backup that I still need to blog about), and an excellent Mitsubishi ductless mini-split to heat or cool most of our second floor. But we still have the bad (un)”natural” gas supply for our gas cooktop and a gas dryer. Let’s kick it to the curb! How hard can it be?
A gas cooktop is so bad!
The harmful effects of gas stoves on health are now undeniable, maybe that will encourage even knuckle-dragging global warming deniers to switch to better induction cooktops. Plus the ease of cleaning a single tempered sheet of glass. If you remodel or build new and hook up a gas supply, you’re crazy.
We tried to get an estimate of how much it would cost to switch to an induction cooktop, and the appliance installers couldn’t even figure out how to remove our Miele gas cooktop, and weren’t sure if we would need an additional 240 Volt 40 amp outlet (we already have an electric oven) and/or an electric panel upgrade. All that on top of the cost of Consumer Reports’ recommended Bosch NIT8660UC induction cooktop.
Occasionally drying clothes
We would have similar problems ditching our gas clothes dryer for an electric or heat pump dryer. (We mostly air dry for a few minutes to collect lint then hang clothes inside, and sometimes point a fan at them to dry quicker, which also cools the house.) We’d need a new electric outlet, the new dryer wouldn’t fit next to our 20-year-old unbreakable Kenmore Elite HE3t washer, and wouldn’t stack on our existing pedestal to provide a shelf in the utility room.
Making a statement while barely making a dent
Much as I’d love to tell PG&E to rip out our gas connection, spending $4,000+ for the satisfaction of telling the (un)”natural” gas company to f*** off, when we use less than 1 therm a month for $5, is a pretty expensive performative statement!
