Gas dryers have a gas burner that does the heating; electric dryers have electric heating elements. Both types utilize electricity for the motor that turns the drum and the controls.

Gas dryers are combustion appliances; when they burn gas, they give off noxious carbon dioxide gas. They must be vented to the outdoors with a proper vent line.

If the dryer’s spot in the laundry area is equipped with a gas line and an appropriate vent that exhausts to the outdoors, a gas dryer is usually favored over an electric one because gas is less expensive in most areas. If there is no gas line but there is a 240-volt outlet, you may want to opt for an electric dryer.