Gas vs Electric Oven: 15-Year Cost Calculator 2026

How gas vs electric oven cost is worked out

A gas oven and an electric oven are priced on different fuels, so the fair comparison is the 15-year cost of each one: the upfront price plus 15 years of running costs. The hours per year are the uses a week times 52 weeks, times the minutes a use, divided by 60. The electric oven uses the hours times its kilowatts in kilowatt-hours, and the cost is the kilowatt-hours times the price per kilowatt-hour. The gas oven uses the hours times its therms an hour, and the cost is the therms times the price per therm. The 15-year total is the upfront price plus 15 years of the running cost, and the winner is the smaller total. The resale value is $0 for both, so the net cost is the gross cost.

At the defaults — 5 uses a week, 60 minutes a use, electric 2.4 kW at $0.17/kWh, gas 0.08 therms/hr at $1.50/therm, upfront gas $900.00, upfront electric $800.00 — the oven runs 5 × 52 × 60 ÷ 60 = 260.00 hours a year, the electric oven uses 260 × 2.4 = 624.00 kWh a year at $106.08 a year, and the gas oven uses 260 × 0.08 = 20.80 therms a year at $31.20 a year — so over 15 years the electric oven costs $800.00 + 15 × $106.08 = $2,391.20 and the gas oven costs $900.00 + 15 × $31.20 = $1,368.00, and gas wins by $2,391.20 − $1,368.00 = $1,023.20. Per year that is $2,391.20 ÷ 15 = $159.41/yr for electric against $1,368.00 ÷ 15 = $91.20/yr for gas.

The worked example, line by line

Setup: 5 uses a week, 60 minutes a use, electric 2.4 kW at $0.17/kWh, gas 0.08 therms/hr at $1.50/therm, upfront gas $900.00, upfront electric $800.00.

Line 1 — the hours per year. 5 × 52 × 60 ÷ 60 = 260.00 hours a year.

Line 2 — the electric running cost. 260.00 × 2.4 = 624.00 kWh a year, and 624.00 × $0.17 = $106.08 a year.

Line 3 — the gas running cost. 260.00 × 0.08 = 20.80 therms a year, and 20.80 × $1.50 = $31.20 a year.

Line 4 — the 15-year totals. Electric: $800.00 + 15 × $106.08 = $2,391.20. Gas: $900.00 + 15 × $31.20 = $1,368.00.

Line 5 — the winner. $2,391.20 − $1,368.00 = $1,023.20 to gas. Per year that is $159.41 for electric against $91.20 for gas.

Line 6 — the upfront winner. $900.00 − $800.00 = $100.00 to electric: the electric oven asks for $100.00 less on day one, even though it costs $1,023.20 more over 15 years.

Line 7 — the break-evens. Gas ties electric if electricity falls to ($1,368.00 − $800.00) ÷ (15 × 624.00) = $0.06/kWh (exact $0.0607), or if gas rises to ($2,391.20 − $900.00) ÷ (15 × 20.80) = $4.78/therm.

Every branch, checked

3 uses a week: the oven runs 3 × 52 × 60 ÷ 60 = 156.00 hours a year, the electric oven costs $800.00 + 15 × $63.65 = $1,754.72 and the gas oven costs $900.00 + 15 × $18.72 = $1,180.80 — so gas still wins, by $573.92. Cooking less narrows the gap, because the running cost is a smaller share of the total.

7 uses a week: the oven runs 364.00 hours a year, the electric oven costs $3,027.68 and the gas oven costs $1,555.20 — so gas wins by $1,472.48. Cooking more widens the gap, because every extra hour costs $0.41 to run on electricity and $0.12 on gas.

Electricity $0.25/kWh: the electric running cost rises to 624.00 × $0.25 = $156.00 a year, so the 15-year electric total is $3,140.00 and gas wins by $1,772.00. Dear electricity is gas’s best friend.

Gas $2.50/therm: the gas running cost rises to 20.80 × $2.50 = $52.00 a year, so the 15-year gas total is $1,680.00 and gas still wins, by $711.20. Gas has to get a lot dearer before the answer changes.

Electric 3.0 kW: the electric oven uses 260 × 3.0 = 780.00 kWh a year at $132.60 a year, so the 15-year electric total is $2,789.00 and gas wins by $1,421.00. A hungrier oven costs more to run, and the gap grows with it.

Gas 0.12 therms/hr: the gas oven uses 260 × 0.12 = 31.20 therms a year at $46.80 a year, so the 15-year gas total is $1,602.00 and gas wins by $789.20. A thirstier gas oven narrows the gap, but gas still wins.

Electricity $0.05/kWh: the electric running cost falls to 624.00 × $0.05 = $31.20 a year — exactly the same as the gas running cost — so the 15-year electric total is $1,268.00 against $1,368.00 for gas, and electric wins by $100.00. When the running costs tie, the cheaper oven wins, and the electric oven is $100.00 cheaper upfront. This is the one branch where the answer flips.

90-minute uses: the oven runs 5 × 52 × 90 ÷ 60 = 390.00 hours a year, the electric oven costs $3,186.80 and the gas oven costs $1,602.00 — so gas wins by $1,584.80. Long bakes punish the electric oven most, because it burns more kilowatt-hours per hour than the gas oven burns therms.

Reverse — the break-evens: gas ties electric if electricity falls to $0.06/kWh (exact $0.0607), or if gas rises to $4.78/therm. Electricity below $0.06 a kilowatt-hour, or gas above $4.78 a therm, flips the answer to electric.

What the defaults assume

The model assumes the oven runs at its rated power or gas use the whole time it is on, and that the prices on your bill are the prices you pay for every kilowatt-hour and therm. It assumes the oven lasts 15 years and is worth $0 at the end, so the net cost is the gross cost. It leaves out the cost of installing a gas line where there is none, the cost of a 240-volt circuit where there is none, repairs, and the energy used to heat the kitchen around the oven — ask the installer what the hookup costs before you decide. Rounding convention: money is rounded to cents, hours and energy to 2 decimals, and all figures are computed from unrounded values, rounded only for display.

Output · formula · meaning

Who uses this

• The homeowner replacing a broken oven: they learn gas costs $1,368.00 over 15 years against $2,391.20 for electric — so they know the gas oven saves $1,023.20, and they know the electric oven still asks for $100.00 less upfront.
• The renter on cheap electricity: they learn that at $0.05 a kilowatt-hour the electric oven costs $1,268.00 over 15 years — $100.00 less than gas — so they know cheap electricity flips the answer, and they check their own rate before they decide.
• The baker who cooks every day: they learn that at 7 uses a week gas wins by $1,472.48 — so they know the more they cook, the more gas saves, and they check the gas line before they buy.
• The renovator choosing between two ovens: they learn the break-even electricity price is $0.06/kWh — so they know their own rate decides the answer, and they read it off the bill instead of guessing.

Accuracy & limitations

The math is exact for the numbers you enter: the hours are the uses times 52 times the minutes divided by 60, the electric cost is the kilowatt-hours times the price per kilowatt-hour, the gas cost is the therms times the price per therm, and the 15-year total is the upfront price plus 15 years of running cost. What the model cannot do is read your bill for you: check the price per kilowatt-hour and per therm on the bill, and use those numbers, not the national average. It leaves out the gas-line or 240-volt hookup, repairs, and resale value — ask the installer what the hookup costs. It assumes the oven runs at its rated power the whole time it is on. For the stove on top of the oven, see gas vs electric stove; for the oven against the air fryer, see air fryer vs oven.