In the gas vs electric stove choice on Vancouver Island, I'd start with the house, not the cook: is there gas at the wall? If gas already reaches your kitchen and you cook a lot on the burners, a gas range is a fair choice, with a hood that vents outside. If there's no gas line, an electric range costs less to buy and to put in, and it keeps burning fuel out of the kitchen air.
A gas stove burns natural gas or propane in open burners under the pot. An electric stove heats the pot with elements on a 240-volt circuit, under glass or as bare coils. Both come as a range, with the oven below the cooktop.
At Merit Home Furniture, our Campbell River and Port Alberni stores carry 80 ranges between them: 45 electric, 13 induction and 22 with gas burners. I write from Duncan, where we've stepped back from appliances, so for ranges I'll point you up the Island, where Merit's ranges and other appliances now sit. I read every price on November 1, 2026, before applicable taxes.
Gas vs electric stove: which is better for an Island kitchen?
Neither stove wins in every kitchen. Gas suits a cook who wants to see the flame and turn it down in an instant, in a house already on gas. Electric suits a house with no gas service, a rental or a strata, or anyone who wants the cheaper range and the simpler install.
Gas range
A flame that changes the moment the knob turns, on cast iron grates. It needs a gas line, a permit to connect, and an ordinary 120-volt outlet for the igniters and clock. Gas is cheaper energy here, but a gas account carries its own daily charge.
Electric range
A glass top that wipes clean, or coils on the cheapest models, over an oven that bakes evenly. It needs a 240-volt circuit and nothing else. In four of the five maker pairs below it costs $100 to $250 less than the gas version.
Cooking with gas vs electric stove: flame control and oven evenness
Cooking with a gas stove means instant response on top. Turn the knob down and the flame shrinks at once, so a boil drops to a simmer in seconds. A radiant electric element keeps its heat for a while after you turn it down, so I'd slide the pan off for a minute instead.
The Frigidaire 30 in. gas range with Quick Boil lists five burners: 18,000 / 14,000 / 10,000 / 10,000 / 5,000 BTU. BTU means British thermal units per hour, a measure of heat output. Its electric twin, the Frigidaire 30 in. smooth top range, has two 3,000 W elements, roughly 10,200 BTU each.
The gap is smaller at the pot than on paper. Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) calls gas cooktops "perhaps the least efficient method of heating as much of the heat is lost to the air". Electric tops put more of their heat into the cooking surface.
The oven runs the other way. NRCan says electric ovens are "the easiest to achieve even cooking", while gas ovens "tend to have hotspots and uneven heat". For someone who bakes more than they sear, the oven matters more than the burners.
Gas and electric range prices on Merit's listings, maker by maker
A gas range costs the same as or more than the electric version of the same range. The table pairs five makers' 30-inch freestanding models. Two prices in a cell mean the finishes are priced differently.
| Maker | Gas range | Electric range |
|---|---|---|
| Amana | Amana gas range, $1,049.99 to $1,099.99, Port Alberni | Amana electric range, $899.99, both stores |
| Frigidaire | $1,199.00 to $1,249.00, Port Alberni | $1,099.00 to $1,149.00, Port Alberni |
| Whirlpool | Whirlpool gas range, $1,299.99, Campbell River | Whirlpool electric range, $1,099.99, both stores |
| LG | LG gas range, $1,399.99, Port Alberni | LG air fry electric range, $1,149.99 to $1,249.99, both stores |
| Samsung | Samsung gas range, $1,399.99, Port Alberni | Samsung electric range, $1,399.99, Campbell River |
The lowest 30-inch electric range the two stores carry is the Amana coil range at $799.99 to $849.99. The other gas, electric and induction ranges are in one collection, and how Merit's online prices work has its own note.
Gas vs electric stove running costs on BC Hydro and FortisBC rates
Natural gas is the cheaper energy on Vancouver Island, though a stove uses little of either. The table uses BC Hydro's residential tiered rate and FortisBC's Mainland and Vancouver Island gas rate, effective July 1, 2026, both read on November 1.
| Charge | Electric (BC Hydro) | Gas (FortisBC) |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 11.87 cents per kWh (Tier 1), 14.08 cents per kWh (Tier 2) | $8.469 delivery, $2.472 storage and transport, $1.660 cost of gas, per GJ |
| Per gigajoule | $32.97 (Tier 1) to $39.11 (Tier 2) | $12.60 |
| Daily charge | 23.44 cents, paid in any house on the grid | $0.4216, or about $154 a year |
| One burner on high for an hour | 3,000 W element: about 36 cents at Tier 1 | 18,000 BTU burner: about 24 cents |
The last three rows are my arithmetic from the published rates, before taxes. The burner row compares energy bought, not heat reaching the pan.
The daily charge decides it for many houses. If the range would be your only gas appliance, that charge alone would buy more than 600 hours of a burner on high. In a house that heats with gas, it's paid anyway. Electric ranges carry an EnerGuide label with their yearly kWh, and gas ranges are exempt, per NRCan. Our wine cooler guide turns an EnerGuide label into dollars at the same BC Hydro rates, working out what each wine cooler costs a year to run.
Where there's no gas main, a gas range runs on propane from a tank, at your supplier's price. The Amana, Frigidaire and Whirlpool listings name natural gas as the fuel. The Whirlpool and LG include the propane (LP) conversion kit, and the Frigidaire lists its kit as optional.
Gas stoves and indoor air: what Health Canada says about nitrogen dioxide
Gas stoves add nitrogen dioxide to indoor air, and Health Canada names them among the main sources in a home. Its page says the gas "can decrease your lung function and make asthma worse". People with asthma, allergies or COPD may be more sensitive.
Health Canada's indoor air guideline gives the numbers. In homes measured in six Canadian cities, median levels were generally 4 to 10 µg/m3. In homes with gas stoves, medians ran 9 to 22 µg/m3, highest in winter. The guideline sets a short-term limit of 170 µg/m3 over one hour and a long-term limit of 20 µg/m3. Most electric stove homes rarely exceed the long-term level, it says, and gas stove homes can meet it with good ventilation.
Health Canada's advice for a gas stove is to use a range hood fan that vents outside, on a higher setting, and to cook on the back burners. If anyone at home has asthma or a lung condition, ask your doctor whether the stove is worth changing.
Are electric stoves safer than gas stoves?
An electric stove removes the gas risks: a leak and combustion gases in the room. Health Canada asks for a yearly inspection of gas appliances, because leaks are hard to detect. If you smell rotten eggs, FortisBC says to go outside first, then call 1-800-663-9911. Electric glass has its own risk, since it stays hot after the element shuts off. I'd look for a hot-surface light on any model.
Before choosing between gas and electric for a kitchen you already have, I'd pull the old range out and look at the wall. A capped gas pipe, a big four-prong plug or both tells you what the house is ready for. If the old range still mostly works, check a dead burner by its type before deciding it has to go.
Installing a gas or electric range: gas line, permits and the 240-volt circuit
An electric range plugs into a 240-volt receptacle on its own circuit, and a gas range needs a gas supply plus an ordinary outlet. The Frigidaire electric model asks for a 240 V, 40 A minimum circuit, and its gas twin for 120 V, 12 A. Technical Safety BC (TSBC) sets the permit rules for both.
- Gas range. TSBC requires a gas homeowner permit for installing or replacing gas appliances, a range or cooktop among them. New gas piping needs one too. If you hire a licensed gas contractor, they apply for it.
- Electric range, no 240-volt outlet. TSBC lists installing or moving electrical outlets as work that needs an electrical permit, or a licensed electrician.
- Strata, duplex or home business. These owners can't get homeowner permits, TSBC says, and must hire a licensed contractor.
Depending on where you live, TSBC or your municipality issues the permit.
Can you use a gas stove in a power outage?
Some gas ranges let you light the top burners by hand when the power goes out, but not the oven. Wolf, a gas range maker, tells owners to relight surface burners manually during an outage, and not to try the oven. Your model's manual says whether its burners allow it. An electric range does nothing in an outage.
For cabins off the grid, Port Alberni carries the Unique Off-Grid 30 in. propane range, at $2,749.00. It lights on 1.5V battery ignition and needs no household power.
Induction, dual fuel and the other types of stoves
The stoves on our listings are gas, radiant electric, coil electric, induction and dual fuel. Induction is electric, but it heats the pan itself through electromagnets. NRCan counts it among the most efficient ways to cook, and notes it requires special types of cookware. Port Alberni's Frigidaire rear control induction range is the lowest priced at $1,599.00.
An "electric gas stove" can mean a dual fuel range, with gas burners over an electric oven. The one our stores carry is the Electrolux 30 in. dual fuel range, at Port Alberni for $3,899.00. It can also mean a plain gas range, which still uses electricity for its igniters and controls.
Range features worth paying for on a gas or electric stove
Most range features come on gas and electric models alike. These show up most on Merit's 30-inch listings.
| Feature | What it does, and where it appears |
|---|---|
| Convection | A fan moves hot air around the oven; NRCan says food cooks faster at a lower temperature. On the LG and Samsung pairs. |
| Air fry | A strong convection mode with a tray, for crisping without a fryer. On the LG and Samsung pairs. |
| Self clean or steam clean | Self clean burns residue off at high heat. Steam clean is what Frigidaire calls a 30-minute cleaning for small, light spills. The Amana and Whirlpool pairs self clean. |
| Griddle | A flat plate for pancakes. Included with the Samsung electric and both gas ranges from LG and Samsung. |
| Wi-Fi controls | Check the oven from a phone app, on the LG and Samsung listings and Maytag's smart electric convection range. |
I'd pay for convection first, since it changes how the oven bakes every day. Wi-Fi is the one I'd skip unless you'd use the app.
When a gas or an electric stove is the wrong choice
- Gas in a house with no other gas appliance: the line, the permit and the daily charge cost more than the stove saves.
- Gas with no hood venting outside. Health Canada's advice depends on that fan.
- Gas where someone at home has asthma, before their doctor has weighed in.
- Radiant glass for a cook who wants instant control, or a home with small children who touch the glass.
Where the gas and electric stove figures come from
- Natural Resources Canada, Looking for an energy-efficient cooking appliance?, checked November 2026.
- BC Hydro, Residential tiered rate, checked November 2026.
- FortisBC, Residential natural gas rates (Mainland and Vancouver Island, effective July 1, 2026), checked November 2026.
- Health Canada, Nitrogen dioxide, checked November 2026.
- Health Canada, Residential Indoor Air Quality Guideline: Nitrogen Dioxide, checked November 2026.
- Technical Safety BC, Homeowner gas permits, checked November 2026.
- Technical Safety BC, Homeowner electrical permits, checked November 2026.
- Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove, Light gas burners without power, checked November 2026.
- Frigidaire Canada, How To Use Steam Clean, checked November 2026.
- Merit Home Furniture's live range listings and their spec tables, read November 1, 2026.
Seeing gas and electric ranges at Campbell River or Port Alberni
Every range here is carried at Merit's Campbell River store, 1300 A Homewood Rd, or Port Alberni, 2935 Third Ave, as each listing shows. Call before the drive to ask which are set up, and bring a photo of the wall behind your old range. Ask about delivery and hookup when you call.
Port Alberni store: (250) 724-6644 | Campbell River store: (250) 286-0868
Ranges neither store carries come in as special orders through (250) 746-5527. Before the drive, every Merit showroom on the Island is mapped out in one guide. Merit's appliance articles beyond the stove sit together on one page.