Why A Gas Furnace Is A Good Bet
Of all the sources of heating available, gas seems to outshine the rest. You will get this sense if you compare natural gas heating to other energy sources such as wood, electricity, and oil, among others. Here are some of the top reasons gas rules them all.
Gas Is Inexpensive
Heating and cooling are the major consumers of energy for most households. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, heating and air conditioning can consume as much as 51% of total energy consumption in a house. The specific percentage may vary by season, location, household size and others, but the idea is that heating and cooling requires a lot of energy
As such, you can reduce your energy consumption considerably, which would benefit both your pocket and the environment, if you lower your heating and cooling costs. Installing a gas furnace is helpful, in this respect, since gas is relatively inexpensive compared to other energy sources.
For example, the energy costs of heating a 2200 square foot house (for a year) all exceed $2,000 in houses with oil, electricity, and propane heating systems. The totals for heat pumps and natural gas furnaces, on the other hand, are all under $1,500 for a similar house.
Gas Supply Is Reliable
Another advantage of gas heating is that its supply is more reliable than the supply of other heating energy sources. For example, electricity mainly runs above ground, which exposes it to interruptions due to weather elements (such as storms) and human negligence (such as construction damages).
Oil and propane, on the other hand, must be delivered to your home via trucks. This means you can run out of oil or propane during a freak storm or flooding when the delivery trucks can't get to your house.
As for natural gas, the supply lines run from the utility centers to your house, and they run underground. Thus, you don't have to store natural gas for heating. Also, the supply lines are immune to most forms of weather elements that might interrupt supply. Thus, you are nearly guaranteed constant heating if you have a gas furnace.
Gas Is Clean
Lastly, most people will agree that natural gas is a clean source of energy. Here are some of the factors that make natural gas clean:
- Natural gas has no color or odor.
- Natural gas emits lower levels of harmful emissions as compared to other fossil fuels.
- Natural gas is abundant in the country.
- Natural gas burns efficiently; thus, you need less of it for the same heat production as compared to other fuels.
All these factors mean natural gas is not only good for your house (fewer health problems), but it is also good for the environment at large.