An average American family is likely to do about 1,000 loads of laundry in a year where there are kids and if none, it could be about 400 loads a year and drying them with machine will contribute up to 8% in your annual bill for utility.

The two well-known designs of dryer is the electric dryer and the gas dryer. You might simply want to buy the one you already have the fuel source but in a situation where the two sources are available, you may need a hand in determining which one will be best for your home. This is why we have assembled this article, to help you to understand the advantages and disadvantages of both the electric dryers and the gas dryers.

Here we go!

1. Which of the two machines saves cost the more?

A washing cycle with electricity cost about $0.40 a load while gas may cost about $0.33 a load which means that you are saving more with the gas model especially if you have connected the natural gas to your home. The long-term cost of any model has to be considered before making your choice.

2. Which ensures that energy is not wasted?

The instant heat created by the gas dryer, makes it the best model for energy waste reduction. But electric dryers have coils and they may take some more time to heat up and that means that some energy will be wasted during its heating process. If you are looking to reduce some energy waste, then, gas dryer may be the best for your home.

3. Which has the minimal risk of damaging your cloth?

A gas dryer do not require much tumbling to dry up a cloth with which means your cloth runs a low risk of being damaged in the process of drying. An electric dryer on the other hand may need much tumbling and this may cause the release of lint and other damages to your cloth.

NB: this might not happen so quickly. The damage may take some time to happen.

4. Which of the two does not cost extra for the plug?

The gas dryer is been fueled by natural gas so you can actually plug it into any standard outlet of 110v. This means that you do not need to buy an extra plug. But the electric dryer on the other hand requires about 125 – 250v to perform effectively. Also, need to choose between the four-prong model and the three-prong model. This means you need to buy an extra plug.

5. Benefits of a moisture sensor

To determine how quickly your cloths dry, you need a moisture sensor. Moisture sensors also help to monitor the drying time and make adjustments where it is needed. Gas dryers are built with this moisture sensor and this makes them conserve more energy than the electric dryer.

6. Which of the two models have less installation cost?

Both electric dryers and gas dryers have similar installation cost because in as much as 110v structure and operate a gas dryer, it might cost you more to install a natural gas line. However, it will cost you some more dollars to get an extra plug for the electric dryer because you will need between 125 – 250v circuit.

7. Which of the two models is likely to have issues with grounding?

The risk of electrifying an exterior unit is a significant hazard of the electric dryer. This is because electric dryer offers both four prongs and three prongs which consist of a neutral slot which should be grounded. Now if you do not get this grounding right, it may cause some hazard. For gas dryers, you do not have to think about such risk.

Evaluation of the disadvantages of Electric dryers and Gas dryers

1. Less cost of operation

If you do lesser laundry a year, then the electric dryer will be good for your home because they cost less when compared with the gas dryer. But the utility bill over a year when charged with the same load will eventually cost you more because the utility cost of electricity. With Gas dryer, you might be saving about $270 a year depending on how often you do laundry.

2. Different model options

You can make bold to say that you will find more variety of model when you choose the electric dryer than when you go for the gas dryer. The electric dryer offers premium model too. Most of the features in the electric model may not be found in the gas model.

3. Ready to be installed anywhere

Because of the multiple choices in electric dryer design, it is easy to be installed in almost every part of your home. You can easily take out the power cord and stretched to almost any socket of appropriate capacity in the house. This type of liberty may not be seen in gas dryers.

4. No need for utility hookup

There is no need for utility hookup for electric dryer. For gas dryer, you will need a hookup and this could be cost intensive. The price for a secured connection could range from $65 to about $700. You need to consider thoroughly and make the best choice. 

5. Affordability and easy maintenance

Basically the electric dryer is considered the most affordable type of dry. Luckily, its maintenance is also affordable because you do not need to totally uninstall before maintaining the machine, you just need to get it out from the power source and disconnect the unit. For a gas dryer, you need to do some little uninstallation and the reconnect after.

6. Vents or no vent?

Vents do not usually come in hand with your dryer and to get it if your dryer needs it – will cost some few dollars. Electric dryers do not require vents because they do not emit carbon monoxide. The gas dryer on the other hand will need a vent and this might mean extra cash.  

7. Multiple energy sources or just one

An electric dryer requires only one source of energy which is the electricity. This will not only reduce utility cost but also installation cost. For gas dryer, you will need a space for natural gas installation and you will need to pay the technician who did the installation. Also, you will need a power source inside where you will plug it in. a single source of energy reduces installation stress and cost too.

8. Movability of both dryers

The need to relocate from your place of living might come up and your dryer will have to move too. Taking your dryer from one place to another will be easier when it is the electric dryer. For gas dryer, you will have to uninstall from more than one source and this uninstallation may be tedious and demanding too.

A take home note on the advantages and disadvantage of electric and gas dryers

When evaluations like this is done, it is good to understand that though they serve the same purpose, they two different models and the components used to manufacture then are different basically because of their source of fuel. However, some differences must be considered and they include the price, maintenance and efficacy. Electric dryers are generally less expensive than a gas dryer although one may say that what you have saved while buying, you will spend as utility bill in the nearest future but it only depend on the amount of laundry loads you do from time to time.

When it comes to efficacy, it is hard to determine which one of the two performs better but the moisture sensor of the gas dryer gives it an edge of the electric dryer. There are some common maintenance that will go for both which include minimizing the amount of load given to your machine. But you must also take care to run a regular check and maintenance of your dryer and follow the maintenance guide you may find in the owner’s manual.