Not to mention that piping all that natural gas out to each home has to result in a certain amount of leakage and energy cost in just the pumping itself.
[1] https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=105&t=3#:~:text=Th....
Figure on the order of 60% efficient for the best natural gas power plants vs. 95% efficient for a condensing gas water heater. Not to mention the drastic reduction in expensive electrical infrastructure, the power plant, etc.
I wonder how from a pure greenhouse gasses perspective, the numbers stack up. I know that leaked methane is much worse than CO2. 28x according to [1]
This source [2] says that the grid looses: 2% - 5% of gas between provider and consumer.
Even assuming that your grid is 90% just gas plants stil.
30% loss at the power plant, 5% loss from electrical grid. So for every unit of water heated you are wasting 35% of the energy.
Vs say 2% loss in the natural gas grid. but that 2% is 28x worse than burned CO2.
Am I completely wrong in saying that from a pure this hurts the planet more electric based water heaters often probably still win?
[1] https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warmin... [2] https://pubs.naruc.org/pub/FA86BB52-AE3F-D8AC-B295-801BD6DC6...
Assuming your electricity comes from gas plants.
The grid is getting greener which means you win by even more if you electrify everything.
If you have a gas line to your home the most efficient way of heating would be to have co-generation gas turbine than makes heat and electricity and then use the electricity produced to power heat pump.