[old_tv_nut]

In older sections of Chicago, gas light was used at one time. One apartment we lived in (built in the 1920s or earlier, I think) had the electric light fixture in the center of the kitchen ceiling mounted to the old gas pipe simply by screwing a cap over the end of the pipe to capture the mounting bracket. When I went to replace the fixture, I found that the gas supply was still connected and had never been capped in the basement. Wow, was that a scare.

i wonder about your statement about no heat in most homes in Phoenix. Here in Sahuarita we are on average only 6 degrees F cooler than Phoenix, and still need heat in the winter. I would expect that all-electric homes in Phoenix have some electric resistive heating or a heat pump. Even homes in Yuma (hotter, like Phoenix) have some heating for winter.

Edit: the house I'm in has two independent HVAC units, one for upstairs and one for down. They are both installed in the attic, and use gas for heating.