Electricity arcing over something flammable can also cause a fire that burns down your house and kills you.
It isn’t just your imagination. Houses burning down / exploding really is a rare occurance. This is not by accident. There are layers of dumbass-proofing in every part of the system, from the way wire and pipe are manufactured, to the availability of easy-to-use tools and materials that make doing the job the right way also the easy way, to detection systems like fire alarms, to building codes that set standards for how things should be constructed.
assembly@lemmy.world 1 day ago
I think my curiosity is more around the “why” of the gas lines. I put in another comment above but it’s a good amount of effort to run and maintain these lines when we already have and need electric. We’re adding an additional source of risk to these environments for what additional benefit? I’m not talking trash about gas I’m just wondering what the selling point is. Like I said, I have a gas furnace and it’s fine…no complaints. Is it much more efficient than electric? Hotter? There has to be some compelling reason to put in the effort.
brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com 23 hours ago
Gas is much, much cheaper. Like, insanely cheaper. Many homes were built long before it was normal to have 200 amp service.
It’s only in relatively recent years where heat pumps are becoming more common. And resistive heat uses a lot of electricity.
Gas has had decades and decades to be made safe. We have odorants so people can smell it, meters and sensors to monitor for abnormal usage and leaks, and it needs to be contained to cause an explosion.
Leaks outside suck, but aren’t really that dangerous because they can dissipate and be blown away by wind.