Does an electric heater cost more than a gas unit to operate?

Operating costs vary by region. Nationwide, electric heaters are less expensive than propane and are competitive with natural gas. Depending upon the total hours of usage, electric heaters normally have a much lower cost of ownership when factoring in purchase price and maintenance needs. Basically, this means that while it can cost more per hour to operate an electric unit in some areas, it typically takes 7-10 years to save enough money operating on gas, to recover the substantially higher purchase price and cost of regular maintenance for a gas heater.