> 1. In the house there is 1 power outlet and 1 Gas outlet (or basically a plugin point). I thought both Washer and Dryer will need their own power outlets? Do they share the power somehow if they are both electric?

Although I sometimes see this arrangement in old houses, it's a violation of modern electrical code which requires separate circuits for washer and dryer. You could often get away with this setup with older machines if the dryer used gas for heating and required electricity just to run the motor to turn the drum, spin the fan, and run the mechanical and electronic components. The washers of this era were usually top-load units with big cetner agitator posts, which lacked internal water heaters and relied exclusively on a hot water feed from an external water heater (usually the house's main water tank) to provide warm or hot water to the washer. Each of these drew maybe 6 to 8 amps, allowing both to run on a single 120V/20A circuit (or more precariously on a 120V/15A circuit). But newer washers are usually front-load or high-efficiency top-load machines that draw far less water per fill, and since the residual water in the pipes leading from the often distant hot water tank will have cooled down, and hot water from the tank may not even reach the washer given how little water they draw each time, many new washers have a 1000-watt internal heater to ensure the water gets adequately hot for washing. This in addition to several hundred watts for the motor to agitate the clothes. Running a new washer and gas dryer at the same time can overload a single circuit, even if old ones didn't.

2. I keep getting asked if I am getting a "Gas" based Dryer or "Electric" dryer. Depending on either, does it mean I have to get a "Gas" based washer or "Electric" washer too i.e do both have to be the same kind?

All washers are electric. Most US-market washers run on 120V/15A, and all but the cheap ones include intenal water heating which means they draw up to 12 amps or so and should have their own circuit. A few washers run on 240V/15A which allow for much faster (and hotter) water heating with 2500 watt internal heaters, made mostly by Bosch and Asko, but these are limited to 24" rather than 27" wide washers. You can dry with either electric or gas - electric is about twice as popular, but if you have gas plumbing it usually makes sense to use it since it costs less to run a gas dryer in many (but not all) areas.

3. Since I am only seeing 1 socket for Electric and 1 for Gas, is it typical that people buy Electric washers and Gas dryers? Is it non-conventional to buy both Electric?

Both are common, though electric dryers outsell gas about 2 to 1. Most electric dryers need 208V or 240V, 30A power, which uses a much larger plug and outlets than the more familiar 120V outlets. Smaller (24") dryers usually require only 240V/15A power, although they're often fitted with 30A plugs anyway so they'll fit common American dryer outlets and have internal 15 amp fusing. The afformentioned 240V/15A washers are usually paired with a 240V/15A dryer, and are designed so they can attach to each other and both be powered from the same 240V/30A wall outlet. There are a few small 120V electric dryers available too, but they're slow and not popular. You couldn't plug these into the same circuit as any washer and run them both at the same time.

4. Is there anything I should understand in terms of pros/cons of Gas based dryers vs Electricity based dryers? I am looking to buy one of the newer Samsung washer/dryers which tend to have energy efficiency built in. The reason I ask is because Electricity is a whole lot cheaper than gas in this area but I wanted to understand my options...

I am also told that the Electric dryers will take up more 'amps' in the house so to get an air conditioner installed (and based on other things in the house that suck up the amps), I should probably take a gas dryer. Does this sound reasonable? This is probably a whole different post regarding air conditioning for a different forum so I'll leave it at this.

Gas dryers cost somewhat more than their electric counterparts and have a worse reliability record, but they usually cost less to run in most areas. If gas costs more where you live, you may be better off with an electric dryer, although it seems you'd need a new circuit and outlet installed to use one from what you describe so you have to weigh the relative costs of each.

As for chewing up the available amperage in your house, that's an issue only if you have an old house whose main electrical service has never been upgraded and you have only, say, 60 amps available rather then the 200A typical in a new house. But you'll have to reallocate circuits and outlets in many cases to optimise what's available if you stick with the old power panel, which may entail rewiring part of the house, at which point you'd be better of upgrading the service and panel first. You could also save power elsewhere by ditching the incandescent light bulbs for LEDs or at least fluorescent/CFL bulbs, using a gas stove, furnace, and water heater, and more efficient air conditioning. But code often still requires, say, an individual circuit for lighting even though you're only drawing 3 amps if every light in the house is turned on.

This post was edited by lee676 on Thu, Oct 2, 14 at 13:08

Electric vs. gas regards to a dryer refers to how the unit heats.

Gas dryers use the gas supply (natural gas or propane) for heating (gas burner).

Electric dryers use a 240 volt heating element (like a hair dryer but larger capacity).

Electricity is needed in either case for running the motor to tumble the clothes, blow the heated air, and operate the mechanical timer or computer board ... so gas dryers also need electricity but only 120 volts, not 240 volts. A gas dryer has a standard electric cord (same as a typical washer), as compared to an electric dryer that has a heavier cord and larger/different plug.

A gas dryer was previously at your location so you apparently do not have a 240 volt power outlet to support an electric dryer. You cannot run an electric dryer unless you have a circuit added for it. (Some houses have provision for both an electric and gas dryer so the homeowner can choose either type.)

Electric dryers typically cost a little less to buy because the electric heating components are less complicated/costly to manufacture than the gas burner components.

Gas dryers historically cost less to operate than electric units. The higher upfront cost of a gas dryer was recouped over time by lower operating cost. However, that has changed in some areas in recent years depending on the local cost details of electricity vs. natural gas or propane. In your case you also must factor-in the cost of adding a 240 volt circuit for an electric unit.

Consumer/home washing machines do not require a gas connection. Washers are electric, there's no gas consideration involved. Washers are 120-volt, connecting to a standard power outlet, except in a few cases of European-type brands such as Miele, Asko, and Bosch of which some models may take 240 volt power. Many newer washers on the market (non-Euro brands) have supplementary water heating to provide "sanitary" cycles but run on standard 120 volts.

As Lee explained above, your single 120 volt outlet running both a washer and a gas dryer is not adequate for newer washers that have onboard supplementary water heating (electric heating element). A washer with water heating capability needs to be on a dedicated 120 volt circuit.

Thanks everyone, this was very very helpful!!

I should've mentioned some clarification in terms of outlets and washing machine. I am buying a front loading Samsung machine.

Regarding the outlets, there is one ginormous one for the dryer (as well as a gas option) so there is definitely a dedicated line just for the washer and that is why I had to pick between a Gas/Electric dryer.

There is a separate 110V outlet for the washer so that should be fine. Based on some of the comments here, I did see that the breaker had dedicated slots for the washer (110V)/dryer (220V) and also a separate breaker for Air Conditioner so it may not conflict after all.

I think the Electric one might be the way to go specially since Electricity is pretty darn cheap in this neighborhood compared to Gas (PG&E).

Thanks again for your help!