The quick answer
Find the gas meter outside, check your utility bills, and look at each appliance for a gas line, a vent or a fuel label. Nearly every home has electricity, so the real question is whether you also have gas, and for which appliances. If you ever smell gas, leave the building first and call the gas emergency number or 911 from outside. Don't hunt for the leak.
If You Smell Gas, Leave First
Read this before you start poking around appliances. Natural gas has no smell of its own. Gas companies add mercaptan, which gives it a rotten egg odor. Connecticut's utility regulator and Washington Gas both describe the smell that way.
- Get everyone out. If the smell is strong, or you're unsure, leave first and make the call afterward.
- Call from outside. Use a neighbor's phone or a spot well away from the building. Call your gas company's emergency line or 911. Washington Gas says to call 911 first, then the utility.
- Don't create a spark. No matches, candles or smoking. Don't flip light switches, use the doorbell, adjust the thermostat or use electrical equipment. Washington Gas also lists phones, including cell phones, as a device that could spark, so make the call once you're out.
- Don't look for the source and don't go back in. Stay out until the gas company says it's safe.
- Never turn gas back on yourself after it has been shut off for a safety concern. Call the gas company.
The same applies to propane. The Connecticut regulator says to call your propane company, which provides 24-hour emergency service, or 911. The same rule holds if you hear gas escaping. For more on odors around the house, see our guide to strange smells in the house.
Carbon monoxide is the other hazard. It's colorless and odorless, and fuel-burning appliances such as furnaces and water heaters can release it if they malfunction. The Consumer Product Safety Commission advises CO alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas. If an alarm sounds, get outside to fresh air and call 911. Don't try to find the source first.
Everything below is for a calm, no-smell situation, like moving into a new place and wanting to know what you're paying for.
Why It Matters
The answer sets your monthly bills, which utility accounts you need to open, and who you call when something breaks. It also tells you what safety gear you need, because gas appliances call for carbon monoxide alarms and electric ones don't produce combustion gases.
The US Energy Information Administration reports that electricity is used in almost all homes, while natural gas is used in about 58% of homes (2020 survey data). Another EIA page says about 60% of US homes use natural gas for space heating, water heating, cooking and clothes drying. So a typical home isn't "gas" or "electric." It's often both, with some appliances on each. Your house may have a gas furnace and an electric dryer, or an electric furnace and a gas range.
Start With Bills and the Meter
These checks cover the whole house at once, so do them first.
- Utility bills or account. If you have a gas bill, or the gas utility lists an account for the address, you have gas service. Our judgment: if you only see an electric bill and the previous owner or landlord can't point to a gas account, the home is probably electric only, though propane or oil could still be delivered by a separate supplier. Ask the landlord, the seller or the utility to confirm.
- The gas meter. One utility says a gas meter is mounted outside the home, where the gas service line comes up from the ground, on the side or the rear. In apartment buildings, meters are usually grouped in a meter bank, each labeled with a unit number. Our judgment: a meter may sit in a utility room in some homes, so check inside if nothing is outside.
- Look but don't touch. Leave the meter, valves and gas lines alone. If something looks damaged or you smell gas, follow the steps at the top of this page.
Heating System
A heating system can burn gas, propane or oil, or run on electricity. A guide on telling furnaces apart lists these clues:
- Flue or exhaust. Gas furnaces need an exhaust path, which can be a flue, chimney or PVC pipe. No exhaust pipe strongly suggests an electric furnace.
- Gas line. A flexible metal connector or black iron pipe entering the unit means gas. A dedicated 240-volt feed with heavy wiring points to electric.
- Igniter. A pilot flame, or a click at startup from an igniter, points to gas. Electric units have none of these.
- Data label. A fuel type such as natural gas or LP, or a BTU rating, indicates gas. A kilowatt rating with no gas input indicates electric.
- Heating elements. Electric furnaces use metal coils. Gas furnaces use burners.
The same guide advises turning off power at the breaker or disconnect before opening any cabinet, and calling a licensed HVAC technician if you're unsure. We'd go further: you don't need to open anything. The nameplate on the outside and the pipes entering the unit answer the question.
Also look at how heat reaches the rooms. A Google Nest help page describes forced air as warm air coming from vents or registers, radiators as sealed units filled with hot water, steam or electric coils, and electric baseboard as another type. InspectApedia describes electric systems as electric baseboards along the walls or an electric furnace, and notes that wall-mounted baseboard units without a fuel tank or gas line suggest electric heat. Heat pumps run on electricity too. That last point is our general knowledge, not drawn from a source we fetched, so check the outdoor unit's label or ask a technician.
Water Heater
Water heaters are easy to check because the clues sit on the tank itself.
- Label. New conventional water heaters carry a yellow and black EnergyGuide label that lists the type of fuel the unit uses. The manual and product box usually say the same.
- Vent or flue. Standard gas units send exhaust through a flue and out of the house. A vent or flue pointing outdoors suggests gas.
- Gas line. A gas water heater connects to a gas supply line.
An electric tank has neither a gas line nor a vent. Bob Vila's article notes that an electric unit runs on electricity alone, so a gas line or vent rules it out. For an electric unit that isn't heating, our Rheem electric water heater troubleshooting guide covers the usual checks. The Department of Energy's high-efficiency gas storage units add a twist: a sealed-combustion, direct-vented unit draws combustion air from outside and pushes exhaust out, so it has pipes where an older gas unit has a single flue.
Range and Dryer
Dryer. A gas dryer has a gas supply pipe connected to the back, and it needs a vent to the outdoors for combustion gases. SlashGear says electric dryers typically use a four-prong plug for a 240-volt outlet, while gas dryers usually have a three-prong plug for a 120-volt outlet. Don't judge by the cord alone, though. A gas dryer still needs electricity for its controls and drum light. The model number is more reliable: look it up online and the listing states electric or gas.
Range. Look for the model label. On a freestanding gas range it can be under the burners, under the cooktop, along the front oven doorjamb or behind the pullout drawer. On an electric range it can be on the back, behind the pullout drawer or along the doorjamb. Read the model number carefully, because a zero and the letter O look alike, then look it up. Our judgment: a gas range also shows a flexible gas connector at the back, and burners that click or glow when you turn a knob use electricity only to spark the gas. If you see an open flame on the burner, it's gas.
Our judgment: don't drag a gas range or dryer away from the wall just to look. Moving one can strain the gas connector. Read the model label and look it up, or ask a technician.
Propane and Oil
"Gas" can also mean bottled or tank propane (LP gas) instead of piped natural gas. InspectApedia notes that gas-fired equipment uses either bottled LP gas or piped natural gas, and that oil heat uses an oil storage tank and oil piping, typically No. 2 home heating oil or a kerosene and oil mix.
If your home has no gas meter but you see a tank in the yard or in the basement, ask the seller or landlord who supplies the fuel and how it's billed. Propane and oil have their own suppliers, not your electric or gas utility, so no utility bill will show them. For propane, keep the supplier's emergency number where you can find it fast.
Quick Reference
| Appliance | Gas clue | Electric clue |
|---|---|---|
| Whole home | Gas meter outside, gas bill | Electric bill only |
| Furnace | Flue or exhaust pipe, gas line, igniter, BTU rating | No exhaust pipe, heavy 240-volt wiring, kW rating |
| Water heater | Flue or vent, gas supply line | No vent or gas line |
| Dryer | Gas pipe at the back, vent outdoors, usually three-prong plug | Usually four-prong plug, 240-volt outlet |
| Range | Gas connector, open flame, label says gas | Label says electric, glowing coils or smooth glass top |
If the clues conflict, trust the model label and the utility over a quick guess, then ask a licensed technician to confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a home be both gas and electric?
Yes, and most are. The US Energy Information Administration reports that electricity is used in almost all homes and natural gas in about 58% (2020), so many homes mix the two across the furnace, water heater, range and dryer.
How do I tell if my furnace is gas or electric?
Look for an exhaust pipe, a gas line and an igniter, plus a BTU rating on the label. Those mean gas. No exhaust pipe, heavy 240-volt wiring and a kilowatt rating on the label point to electric. If you're unsure, call a licensed HVAC technician.
What should I do if I smell gas?
Leave the building right away, call your gas company or 911 from outside, and don't use switches, flames or anything that could spark. Stay out until the gas company says it's safe.
Can I tell from my electric bill alone?
Not reliably. A bill with no gas charges suggests there's no gas service, but propane and oil are delivered by separate suppliers and don't appear on the electric bill. Ask the seller, landlord or utility to confirm.
Does a gas dryer need an electric outlet?
Yes. A gas dryer uses a standard plug to power its controls and drum light, so the cord alone can't tell you which type you have. Check for a gas pipe at the back or look up the model number.
Sources
- Connecticut PURA: What to do if you smell natural gas (mercaptan, leave and call from outside, avoid ignition sources, never restore gas yourself)
- Connecticut PURA: What to do if you smell propane gas (propane company emergency service, 911)
- Washington Gas: Natural gas safety (rotten egg odor, call 911 then the utility, phones as a spark risk)
- US CPSC: Carbon Monoxide Fact Sheet (colorless and odorless, alarms, what to do when one sounds)
- US EIA: Use of energy in homes (electricity in almost all homes, natural gas in 58%, 2020 data)
- US EIA: Use of natural gas (about 60% of homes use gas for heating, water heating, cooking and drying)
- Jackson Energy Authority: Locating your gas meter (outside, where the service line rises, meter banks in apartments)
- PickComfort: How to tell if your furnace is gas or electric (flue, gas line, igniter, data label, heating elements)
- Bob Vila: Gas vs. electric water heaters (EnergyGuide fuel label, flue, gas line)
- US DOE Better Buildings: Gas storage water heaters (sealed-combustion, direct-vented units)
- SlashGear: How to tell if a dryer is gas or electric (plug type, gas line, vent, model number)
- Hunker: Finding the model number on a range (label locations on gas and electric ranges)
- InspectApedia: Types of heating systems (LP vs natural gas, oil tank, electric baseboard)
- Google Nest Help: What kind of heating system you have (forced air, radiators, electric baseboard)
Gas rules and emergency numbers vary by utility and state. Save your utility's emergency line in your phone.