I purchased Tramontina from Walmart when we opted for induction last year. I read lots of good stuff about it on Chowhound. I am very happy with the cookware and with the choice of induction. Originally, we were going to go with propane; we are in the NorthEast so everything is expensive here but natural gas is not an option for us. Two things sold me on induction. 1) the efficiency is somewhere around 85%, gas is about 1/2 of that. With high costs associated with both, the more efficient unit ends up costing less. I have a Bosch 800 series induction and can boil water much faster than my microwave - I'd say in at least half the time off the top of my head. The immediate response to power adjustments is incredible. 2) the lack of heat brought into the kitchen area. We do have central a/c, but don't run it unless the humidity gets intolerable in the summer. I like that the unit doesn't add additional heat to the kitchen area. The induction cooktop is super easy to clean. If you happen to spill something while cooking, you can lift the pot and wipe the surface clean. We don't fry, but if cooking bacon, you can layer the cooktop with paper towels or newspaper to catch splatter and simply toss them out when finished cooking. Since we have had multiple long term power outages these past two years, one pro for propane was cooking during loss of power. However, those same power outages have taught us that there really is not much that you can't cook on an outdoor grill. We lived off our grill in every outage we've had. Eggs, omelets, pizza, mac 'n' cheese - we've eaten very well each time. This past year, since I had tossed my old cookware, we even put our tramontina pots out on the grill when making meals. A good cleaning with barkeeper's friend brought back the shine. Induction is a great option and Tramontina pots are a reasonably priced option for cookware!

I looked on the Monogram.com website. Not knowing which exact model you want, I had to just pick one to look at, but using the 5-burner ZGU385 just for an example, it says the following: for Natural gas burners 1 burner @ 18,000 BTUs 2 @ 12,000 BTUs 2 @10,000 BTUs Total output: 62,000 BTUs But the LP version offers 1 @ 15,000 BTUs 4 @ 9100 BTUs Total output: 51,400 BTUs This seems to happen with brands that convert a natural gas unit to work with LP. Some manufacturers actually build LP units, rather than just converting NG appliances, so that there is no BTU loss. I believe Wolf, BlueStar, and Capital all do that.

I think all are right to a point. It would be a very challenging justification to add gas lines or high voltage electric lines and justify a cost savings if both were not already in place. The only real truth is that blanket statements don't apply to everyone because of substantial variations in utility cost across the country, differences in water temperature, and differences in the spin capability of different washers mated to the dryers. At one time I did a calculation of the change in entropy at about 42% efficient for the change in state of liquid water at 60F to evaporated at 120F. I doubt it has changed much through the years. Electric dryers are indeed a bit more efficient and can in fact dry a bit faster because they produce a dry heat. As others have stated, one of the byproducts of combustion is the creation of water, and that water passes through the load on its way out the vent. Where I live, upper Midwest, electricity is relatively cheap, but natural gas is even cheaper, and natural gas has crashed 40% in most areas over the last 2-3 years due to gluts of gas availability. For the average homeowner in our area, natural gas is still the best option. But, this is for natural gas, LP is potentially a different story because of higher average costs. Some recent winters have had shortages in LP, which caused sudden, violent spikes in price. Meanwhile electricity cost, while still cheap, is rising quickly with some significant rate hikes on the horizon. And yes, a gas dryer uses electricity to turn the basket, but those are typically equipped with 1/4 hp motors or at most 1/3 hp, which draw about 200-300 watts of electricity, so only about 5-10% of BTU equivalent of a gas dryer running. For those not living watts and horsepower as parts of their career, about 746 watts = 1 hp, and induction motors are anywhere form 50-80% efficient in converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, the rest lost as heat. For comparison sake, I think most small electric dryers use 4800-5400 watt heating elements, so 300 watts to turn the drum and run the controls is next to nothing compared to the elements. Laundryvet

I have been cooking and heating with propane for nearly 30 years. Never one problem. For our remodel we purchased an all gas Wolf - could not be happier and you couldn't get me to use anything else. As for the costs, it's negligible. Heating a whole house is another story but our furnace is 18 years old so I expect it. We also have a Mendota fireplace, gas converted to propane - love it and it's extremely cost efficient. We are thinking of installing one in our bedroom and only using the whole house furnace if we have guests. Get the LP range you want. You won't be sorry. : )