[st26]

Personally I suspect a lot of the diehard adherents to gas cooking haven't had a chance to cook with a modern glass top resistance or induction stove. IMO the difference has shrunk dramatically.

Water heaters too, electrics have improved and the operating cost difference is really not that big. Electric water heaters might also be extremely valuable for demand response.

When it comes to space heating in cold climates though, I don't really know what replaces natural gas. Probably air source heat pumps, but they are still maturing.

[arielweisberg]

Gas infrastructure works when the power is out... It can't survive all natural disasters, but some.

When it's -6 degrees outside and you have hot water, heat, and a fireplace that are all still working you'll get it real quick.

A furnace does require a generator to run the blower, but it can be a pretty small one and it sips fuel.

[st26]

That's the thing, I've never lived somewhere that gets to -6 and also runs a real chance of multi day power outages.

I'm sure it's a different story in some parts of the world, of course.