For most households this choice is made by the laundry room, not by the shopper. A dryer is gas or electric because of what is already plumbed and wired behind it, and converting from one to the other is an electrical or gas fitting job rather than an appliance swap. Before you compare features, find out what your hookup actually is.
Start by identifying what is on the wall
Walk to the laundry area and look behind the existing machine or at the empty bay.
- A large round or rectangular receptacle with three or four slots, clearly bigger than a normal wall outlet, is a 240 volt dryer outlet. That is an electric dryer position.
- A capped gas stub or a shutoff valve near the floor, plus an ordinary 120 volt wall outlet, is a gas dryer position.
- A 4 inch duct opening in the wall or floor means the space is set up for a vented dryer of either fuel.
- No duct at all means you are looking at ventless options instead, which is a different decision.
Take a photo of the outlet face. The slot pattern tells an electrician or installer which cord the appliance needs, and dryer cords are frequently sold separately rather than supplied in the box.
What an electric dryer needs
A standard full size residential electric dryer in the United States runs on a 240 volt circuit, normally rated at 30 amps, terminating in a matching 3 prong or 4 prong dryer receptacle. Older homes commonly have the 3 prong pattern and newer wiring the 4 prong pattern. The cord has to match the outlet you have, and the machine has to be configured for that cord according to its installation instructions, because the neutral and ground connections differ between the two. This is not a case where an adapter is the right answer.
Electric models make up most of the market, which is why the electric versions are the ones you see everywhere. GE lists the GE GFD55ESSNWW as a 28 inch front load electric dryer with 7.8 cubic feet of capacity and a sanitize cycle, and the GE Profile PTD60EBSRWS as a 7.4 cubic foot electric dryer with a Check Vent notification. Amana lists the Amana NED4655EW at 6.5 cubic feet with eleven drying cycles as a simpler electric option, and GE lists the GE GTD42EASJWW at 7.2 cubic feet.
What a gas dryer needs
A gas dryer still needs electricity. It plugs into an ordinary 120 volt grounded outlet to run the motor, controls and igniter, and it separately needs a gas supply line with a shutoff valve. It also needs venting to the outdoors, because combustion products have to leave the building.
Gas connections should be made by a qualified installer, and in many jurisdictions that is a legal requirement rather than advice. Local codes and permit rules apply, and a leak test after connection is part of the job. Many gas dryers are convertible between natural gas and liquid propane using a conversion kit; the listing for the LG DLG6101W gas dryer states that it is LP convertible and gives its capacity as 7.3 cubic feet with vented drying, a 27 inch width and a 29.5 inch depth. Conversion is still installer work, not a user setting.
LG also lists the LG DLG3401W at 7.4 cubic feet with a FlowSense duct clogging indicator and a 30 inch closet depth, and names the WM3400CW as its matching washer, so gas is available in the same mainstream sizes as electric rather than only in specialist models.
Running cost, honestly
Gas dryers are usually cheaper to run than electric ones in areas where natural gas costs less per delivered unit of heat than electricity. That is a real effect, but the size of it depends entirely on your local gas and electricity rates, which vary widely by state and utility. Anyone who quotes a single national savings figure is guessing on your behalf.
Three things blunt the difference in practice:
- Gas dryers typically cost more to buy than the equivalent electric model, so the running cost advantage has to pay back a purchase premium first.
- If the gas line does not already exist, adding one is a significant cost that can outrun years of savings.
- How wet the laundry is when it enters the dryer matters more than fuel type. A washer that spins at 1200 RPM or better leaves less water to evaporate, which shortens every drying cycle regardless of fuel.
For a like for like comparison of published efficiency figures rather than marketing claims, dryers carry a Combined Energy Factor. LG lists a CEF of 3.49 for the DLG3401W. Higher is better, and comparing that number between two models tells you more than comparing fuel types in the abstract.
Side by side
| Electric dryer | Gas dryer | |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical supply | 240 volt circuit, normally 30 amps, matching 3 or 4 prong outlet | Standard 120 volt grounded outlet |
| Fuel connection | None | Gas supply line with shutoff valve, connected by a qualified installer |
| Venting | Required unless the model is a ventless design | Required, always, to the outdoors |
| Purchase price | Generally lower for the same model line | Generally higher for the same model line |
| Running cost | Depends on local electricity rates | Often lower, depending on local gas rates |
| Retrofit difficulty | New 240 volt circuit needed if absent | New gas line and permit needed if absent |
Venting is not optional on either fuel
Unless a dryer is specifically designed as a ventless condenser or heat pump model, it must be vented to the outdoors through rigid or semi rigid metal duct terminating in a proper exterior hood. Do not vent a dryer of either fuel into a crawl space, an attic or a room. Lint restricts airflow and is the main cause of long cycles and of dryer fires, which is why duct monitoring appears on modern machines: LG calls its version FlowSense, and GE lists a Check Vent notification on the Profile model above and states a 120 foot venting capability on that unit. Maximum duct length and the number of elbows allowed are model specific and are given in the installation instructions, which override any general advice.
How to decide
If you already have a 240 volt outlet and no gas stub, buy electric. If you already have a gas stub and a 120 volt outlet, buy gas and enjoy the lower running cost that came with the house. If both exist, compare the actual purchase prices of the two versions of the same model against your local gas and electricity rates, and factor in that gas needs a professional connection either way.
If you are building the laundry space from scratch, the honest answer is that fuel type matters less than venting and than the washer feeding the dryer. Once you know which fuel you are working with, comparing capacity and cycle features across the dryers we cover is the productive next step. Stacked units are sold in both fuels too, with LG listing the gas WashTower WKGX201HBA alongside its electric siblings, and matched pairs like the LG DLE3470W electric dryer and the LG WM3400CW washer exist on both sides.
Before you buy
Confirm the outlet type or gas stub with a photograph, confirm the duct route and its length, confirm the door swing direction and whether the model has a reversible door, and confirm whether a cord, a vent kit or a gas connector is included. None of those are assumptions worth making. The installation sheet for the specific model you buy governs every one of them.
