Water boiling dilemma: electric vs nat. gas

[Logic]

An Interesting way to boil water is plain old wall AC to 2 bare electrodes directly in the water!
This is in use in penitentiaries across the world if you doubt its efficacy.

IIRC there are 2 heating effects:
One is plain old resistive heat, but that of the the water itself.
Then a whole lot of high speed ions and molecules bumping into each other.

Ah!
Performance assessment of an electrode boiler for power-to-heat conversion in sustainable energy districts
Electrode boiler reaches a power-to-heat conversion efficiency of 97%.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...7877882200740X

Worried about electrocution:
Current flow is 'lazy' and will take the easiest, least resistive path.
In these heaters that's from the one electrode to the other.
Think electro plating and hydrogen production.

It's when there is one electrode and no path to the other that's there's a problem.
Stick your finger in that and the easiest path is through your body to earth.

[redpoint5]

Resistive heating is close to 100% efficient.

[Piotrsko]

Watts in does not equal watts of heat in water. Best efficiency, yes but still many losses so not more than 90%. You can go down the rabbit hole to prove me incorrect.