One of the easiest ways to tell whether your water heater uses gas or electricity is to look at the access panel. If you remove the panel and find a blue flame, then you have a gas water heater. This blue flame is what we call a pilot light, and it's only used on gas-powered water heaters.
If your water heater has electric power lines going into it (not light control wires), it is a electric heater. If there is piping carrying natural gas or manufactured gas, it is an gas-fired heater.
If it is electric it will have electric wires running to it and a breaker in the electrical panel. If it is gas it will have a gas pipe running to it as well as a gas valve, A gas regulator and most likely a pilot light system. It will also have a chimney running off it's top.
Electric water heaters rely on electricity, while gas water heaters use natural gas or propane. In terms of the heating mechanism, electric water heaters typically employ both upper and lower heating elements. These elements are submerged in the water and directly heat it.
It may say right on the label if it is gas or electric, so start by reading the labels. If it does not say here, you can usually tell by looking at the front panel. A gas heat exchanger uses a burner to produce heat, so there is usually a small window located on the front of the unit.
The heating of the water, however, depends on your home's hot water heater, which is powered by electricity or gas. As a result, the cost of hot water will be included in your electricity bill or gas bill.
In your bathroom next to a shower, a giveaway that you have electric heating is if there is a pull cord or switch with a red light that comes on when activated. This a safe way of isolating the power to the electric shower and should be switched off when you've finished.
If you have a hot water tank but no cold water tank, you'll have an unvented water system, providing high pressure. Water will be stored at mains pressure in a strengthened hot water tank, where it's heated by immersion heaters attached to the side of the tank or a central heating boiler.
The hot water cylinder will be connected to LPG bottles or mains gas. It will have a gas control valve and a gas supply shut-off system. If you don't see a pilot light or connected pipes, you may instead see an electrical connection.
Look at the Heating Element
Gas furnaces have a burner assembly and a pilot light or electronic ignition system. You'll typically see gas pipes leading to the burner. Electric furnaces have heating elements that look like large coils or electric wires. If you see these coils, it's electric.
USE SHOCK ALERT TO TEST WATER FOR VOLTAGE
Shock Alert will notify you of electricity present in water. If it beeps and flashes red, DO NOT SWIM. If it flashes green, no voltage is detected.
Method 1: If you remove the access panel from the side of the water heater and check inside for a blue flame. If you have one this means that you have a gas system.
They're not very common but they do also run on electricity. It's definitely odd, unless you're in a market where electricity gets really expensive in the summer and gas really cheap, and that's flipped in the winter.
One of the easiest ways to tell whether your water heater uses gas or electricity is to look at the access panel. If you remove the panel and find a blue flame, then you have a gas water heater. This blue flame is what we call a pilot light, and it's only used on gas-powered water heaters.
Visual Checks and Documentation: To determine if your shower is electric, look for a unit with a power cable and control box attached directly to the shower.
If it is a gas furnace, there will be a small window on the front of the furnace where you should see a blue glowing flame. You should also be able to hear the noise from the gas burner. Electric powered furnaces do not have a glass window with a blue flame and do not make any noise when idle.
Although they use gas as a primary source of fuel, the internal components require electricity to function. Pilot light controlled gas heaters will continue to operate without electricity (those with a continuously lit pilot light), electronic ignition controlled heaters will not.
You will not need to reignite the water heater if you have an electric model. There's no gas or pilot light involved in electric water heaters. If the power to your electric water heater is off, you may have an electrical issue requiring professional assistance.
'Tankless' Instant hot water: Increasingly popular (especially where space is limited), tankless or instantaneous hot water systems can be electric or gas – and you'll never run out of water! The downside is that there could be a slight delay in heating up the water.
A gas water heater is more cost-efficient than an electric model in the long run. So if you can swing the higher price tag up front, you may be thanking yourself down the road. Gas water heaters tend to boast a much quicker recovery time too. And if you're asking what recovery time is, well…
So, if you have a gas hot water heater, it's likely using around 2,000-5,000 BTUs per hour. As you can see, the cost of operating a gas hot water heater can vary depending on its size and how often it's used. But, on average, you can expect to pay around $12-$18 per month to keep your gas hot water heater running.