Our stoves serve one of the most important functions in our household – cooking food. But besides that stoves can be used to do many other things as well which makes it such a noteworthy appliance in our household.
So, if we decide to make a replacement of our existing gas stoves with an electric one – we need to know the following details.
Can you switch from a gas stove to electric?
You can switch from a gas stove to an electric one at a cost of several replacements and upgrades. Ignoring the gas line, you will have to upgrade your electric circuitry and receptacles. Besides that, your old electric wall outlet as well as circuit breaker will need replacing as well.
There are several reasons for you to want to turn a gas range into electric due to safety, ease of use as well as low maintenance requirements.
Besides that, electric ones cost considerably less than gas hobs which may convince you to change out your previous stove with an electric one. The process has several important steps – which is why you should call your local electrician.
Switching from a gas stove to an electric one could be a hassling process because it requires so many steps and changes to undertake.
However, you should turn a gas range into electric if you are thinking of replacing your old gas hob because the electric stoves provide much more ease of use and safety.
If you wish to switch, you need to change out many components and circuitry around your kitchen. You do not need the gas line anymore, so you can leave that out but and seal it properly to prevent any leakage.
Besides that, you will need to switch out the power outlet with one with a higher voltage rating.
Since gas stoves use electricity as well, they have a receptacle connected to it but its voltage is not sufficient to run an electric stove. The process is not simple as it sounds, which is why you need to hire a professional electrician to make that change.
Factor to consider to switch from a gas stove to electric:
Switching from a gas stove to an electric one is no easy task and requires you to make several modifications to your kitchen with the help of a professional electrician.
Below are some of the factor discussed which you need to keep in mind which switching from a gas stove to an electric:
Sealing off the natural gas line:
You can choose to permanently remove the natural gas line or close it off. In any case, the line must be properly sealed and closed off to prevent any leaks or else, it could result in dangerous accidents and pose fire risk as well.
If you choose to switch back to gas stoves someday in the future or simply want to keep the changes reversible, it is wise to just temporarily seal off the gas line instead of removing it.
Also, electric stoves do not require gas at all – so you can block the gas outlet with some other furniture as well.
Changes to your power outlet:
Although gas stoves use an electric power outlet to run, that is not sufficient to meet the power demands of an electric stove. Which is why you will have to completely reinstall the power outlet to support higher voltage consuming appliances.
A typical gas stove is connected to a standard 110-volt receptacle. Whereas, electric stoves require a 220-volt receptacle.
Therefore, you need to contact a professional electrician to install a higher-capacity wiring and components when they are replacing the 110V receptacles with 220V ones.
This process is very complicated and requires expertise, so do not try to do this on your own.
Need to upgrade your electrical panel:
Even if you switch and upgrade your power outlets to support a higher voltage output – just doing so may not be enough if your electrical panel is not suited to high-amperage supplies.
The power output of an electric outlet depends both on the output voltage and the output current, and electric stoves require a high-amperage input to operate.
However gas-powered stoves do not need high-amperage circuits, which is why the electrical panel will have to undergo an upgrade to necessitate high-amperage supply for electric stoves.
But before you make the upgrade, it is necessary for you to check which model and size of electric stove you are getting and what its amperage requirements are.
Upgrade your electricity mains if required:
This factor is not applicable for everyone but if your home’s electricity source’s supply is just sufficient enough to run your current appliances, you may need to upgrade it to facilitate your newly added electric stove as well.
But you have other options as well such as installing solar power cells to make up for the additional energy demands.
How much does it cost to replace a gas cooker with an electric?
You will need a licensed electrician in order to make the replacement. An electrician generally charges between $50 to $100 per hour – and all this work might take one to several hours depending on how much has to be changed.
An electric stove is much cheaper compared to its gas counterpart with a cost around $200 – which includes its installation and minor modifications.
However, if you are converting from a gas stove to an electric one, you may have to pay between $350 to $400 for the new electrical connection.
Who do I call to convert electric stove to gas?
Since you are converting an electric stove to gas, you will need two licensed professionals who are expert at dealing with both electric and gas lines.
Therefore, you will need to hire a licensed electrician as well as a licensed plumber. The electrician will handle the conversion of the electric outlets and well as the electric panels.
Whereas, the plumber is responsible for handling the gas pipes that were previously sealed and select the right pipes accordingly to make connections to the gas stoves without any leakage.
Besides that, a plumber will also be required if there is no natural gas line in your local area – in which case you will have to set up and use propane.
Is it easy to convert a gas stove to an electric?
If you are considering converting your gas stove to an electric one, you should carefully consider all the factors that come into play during the conversion.
Converting a gas stove to an electric one is not easy and should be done by hiring licensed electricians and plumbers.
Gas stoves do not have high voltage requirements unlike electric stoves, which is why the electric outlets need to be changed from 220 volts to 110 volt outlets.
Besides that, if you had made other modifications to your electric panels – that needs to be changed as well to cater to the requirements of the gas stove.
Not only that, since gas stoves run on gas – it is necessary to draw the line for natural gas as well. If you previously removed the gas line permanently, you will have to draw the gas line from the start.
How do you convert a gas stove to an electric?
The steps for converting a gas stove to an electric stove should be done by licensed professional but if that option is not affordable to you or simply you are curious about the installation process, following the instructions below:
Disconnect and seal off the gas line:
The gas line is no longer necessary, so you can seal it off properly and make sure there are no leaks.
Change the power outlet:
Next, you need to upgrade your power outlet to supply high voltage electricity that meets the needs of the electric stove.
Upgrade the circuitry:
Besides voltage, the electric stove has different amperage requirements as well which you need to adjust according to the stove’s model requirements.
Which is cheaper to use gas or electric stove?
The total cost of using both has their own ups and downs between initial set up cost to annual bills.
If you consider the cost of buying and installing gas or electric stoves, then electric stoves are the clear winner since they can be purchased for a low cost – whereas gas stoves are quite expensive.
But considering the utility bills of both stoves, electricity is expensive compared to gas. In that case you will get a higher bill annually if you use an electric stove instead of gas stoves.
Final thoughts
You can convert a gas stove to an electric stove but have to settle with some replacements and upgrades. Leaving aside the gas line, you’ll need to replace your electrical circuitry and receptacles. Aside from that, your old electric wall outlet and circuit breaker will need to be replaced.