Should You Go for Gas or Electric?
Choosing between getting a gas or electric water heater? This decision will affect your comfort, safety, and bills.
If you love your showers, you would want to know how the heater affects your comfort. Don't rush into making a choice, take your time and learn. In this article, we break down all the facts.
Let's start with a quick comparison:
1. Power Source: Is Gas Cleaner than Electricity?
Gas is cleaner than electricity. But it is not 100% clean. Gas is still a fossil fuel that has a negative climate impact. But gas has a lower carbon footprint than electricity in Singapore.
Why?
Singapore gets over 95% of its electricity from gas. That means we get electricity by burning gas at a power station.
Any appliance that runs on gas skips the power station. That is why a gas heater has a lower carbon footprint.
What other heaters have a low carbon footprint?
Renewable energy heaters also have low carbon footprints. Solar heaters and heat pump heaters are true energy savers. They use free heat in the air or free radiation from the sun.
Note: You can only use your NEA climate vouchers on heat pumps, and not gas heaters.
2. Energy Saving: New Energy Saver Ticks
The long awaited tick-system by NEA was launched in 2025. This is great news for us. It means we now have a clear grading system to find out how energy saving heaters are.
More ticks = higher efficiency = lower bills.
How to get 4 ticks?
It is not just the power source that makes a heater 4-ticks.
Water-saving plays a part too.
• 4-tick heaters are water saving
• 1-tick heaters are not water saving
It is a trade off.
If you get a 4-tick heater, you will get lower water pressure of 5 lit/min.
3. Water Saving: What Does 5 lit/min Feel Like?
5 lit/min is like the water pressure of an instant heater.
You can't use a rain shower.
How many ticks should you get?
• If you want energy and water saving: 4-ticks
• If you want performance and comfort: 1-tick
There are no wrong answers here. It depends on what you prefer.
City Energy's Aim: Sell gas. Save water.
Sell gas: Temasek-owned City Energy is a gas company, not a heater company. Their aim is to get you to buy more gas.
They want you to buy a heater, stove, and dryer so you can buy gas. They are not there to create a shower experience for you.
Save water: Singapore gas heaters are not like gas heaters overseas. In sync To save water, our gas heaters have low water pressure and flow.
It is not a bad thing, but again, you need to know what you are buying early. You don't want to find out after the heater is installed.
4. Run Cost/Month: What Does Your Actual Gas Bill Look Like?
Gas is supposed to be cheaper than electricity, yet some say otherwise.
Some say their Gas Bill is High..
If you have gas water heater or gas clothes dryer, it is SP that charges you. Now with OEM, SP has lost its monopoly over electricity bills. So the only way to earn $ is encourage ppl to use gas.
Is it really cheaper? I have my doubts. The only appliance in my home is the gas hob stove & only because my parents are old school. [They] only cook once a day & only on weekdays & its just 3-4 dishes. Its not as if they whip up a banquet in the kitchen 3 meals a day 365 days a year.
Yet our gas bills are consistently high. I still thought got gas leak but SP sent ppl down to check everything & said nothing wrong.
Last month we supposedly clocked 123 kWh! According to SP, efficient use is 45 kWh and my neighbour's average is 113 kWh. How is it humanly possible to clock just 45 kWh?
derrickgoh
High Supremacy Member, Hardware Zone
Or, Gas is More Expensive than Electric
My place came pre installed with gas water heater Ferroli... But for the past 9mths, the bill for gas usage is more expensive than my previous electric heater.
I don't know why sp can everytime send bill ask us switch to gas heater...I got 2 person in my household and my gas usage is about $20/mth.
Plus my whole house doesn't use gas also. Not even for cooking. It is all electric hob... So $20/mth for gas alone is ridiculous. My water is about $14/mth. So my gas is even more ex than my water. My electricity bill is about $35/mth. So can u imagine the amount of gas that the stupid gas heater is using....
stupidboiboi
Senior Member, Hardware Zone
Gas heater, i think, is a scam. How they come out with the cost saving formula? Per month save $10 compare to using electric heater. how many years to break even?
The gas heater already costs a bomb easily 1k, plus $450 for installation. The repair cost, costs as much as a brand new water tank heater.
It takes hell long to get hot water. The amount of water lost waiting for hot water is unbelievable.
And the gas bill is not cheap compared to electric water tank. There is no way you can break even in 5yrs. And worse, the gas heater normally will not last more than 2 yrs based on my experience. Gas leak, Fan spoil.
bolster
Master Member, Hardware Zone
5. Price: Why Condos Use Gas?
For new condos, using gas heaters are developer's choice, not a homeowner's choice. And developers don't have many options.
The government (BCA) criteria is that condos must use heaters with more than 3 ticks.
This narrows down their choices to these two heaters below.
6. As Homeowners, What Can We Do?
Do the Research Yourself.
If you want something that suits you, do the research. Find out about:
• actual cost
• running cost
• flow rates and water pressure.
Do it early, not after you buy.
This will save you lots of heartache.
Personal take:
If in HDB, I will use Tankless electric heaters
• Close to shower, will get hot water faster than gas
• Neat box up
• Affordable $800+ w installation
• 30% more energy efficient than electric storage heaters
If in Condo, I will use Gen 6 electric storage heater.
• Better water pressure than gas
• Good for rain showers or tubs
• Stable temperature, steam shower effect
Have been enjoying this AOS get 6 digital header (50L) for about 5 months. Both temperature and pressure are much more stable compared to gas heater. The technicians were very professional and provided very useful advice and hassle free delivery and installation.
Qiang Hu
Google Review
Still not sure? Do a 2-min quiz to find your heater:
Gas vs. Electric Heater FAQ
What is the difference between Condo and HDB gas heaters?
HDB and condo gas heaters are not the same.
• Condo gas heaters support a higher flow rate
• Condo gas heaters cost over two times more than a HDB gas heater
• Condo gas heaters supply both baths and kitchen
What are the problems with condo gas heaters?
Condo gas are 8 lit/min, but they don't have the water pressure of a storage heater's 9 lit/min. As a result, the problems with condo gas heaters are:
• Takes a long time to get hot water
• Waste a lot of cold water before the hot water reaches you
• Unstable temperature
• Unstable pressure
What's the difference between Town gas and Natural gas?
In Singapore, most homes with gas heaters actually use town gas, not natural gas. Town gas is produced locally, by City Energy.
many of the high-quality water heaters around the world are designed for natural gas, but most of the low-flow, high-efficiency heaters sold in Singapore are specially made for town gas.
In modern times, very few countries still use town gas for homes, one example is Hong Kong.
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