If it’s time for you to purchase a new furnace for your household, you’ll have a lot of factors to consider. Seemingly minor choices can have a huge impact on the overall efficacy and efficiency of your new heating system, so it’s important that you do your research and consult with a professional before making your purchase.
An inefficiently operating system can leave you with higher bills plus an increased need for repairs.
After choosing the make and model of your furnace, the next and most important choice to make is what fuel source you’ll utilize. If you’ve always used an electric furnace, you may think that’s your only option, but this isn’t necessarily true. Still, though, is an electric furnace a “better” choice?
Well, this depends! Read on to learn more.
All About Gas Furnaces
The useful service life of a well-maintained gas furnace is about 10 to 15 years. It’s also important that you keep up on any repair needs to maintain this lifespan–which is true for electric furnaces as well.
If your home has access to a natural gas line and you already have gas hookups, then installing a gas furnace is a pretty simple process for our professionals. But professionals is the keyword here–gas lines should only ever be worked on by trained and licensed technicians.
The cost of a natural gas furnace is more than an electric one, when it comes to the initial purchase and installation. However, natural gas is a less expensive fuel source than electricity, and therefore you’ll actually save money each month, which is the primary reason many people choose to go with the gas option.
Safety is another factor to consider. Gas furnace systems are not inherently dangerous. However, if they are not installed properly or if they aren’t maintained throughout the years, combustion gases can cause your furnace to become hazardous. Carbon monoxide (CO) exposure and poisoning is a very real risk associated with gas-powered appliances.
All About Electric Furnaces
Electric furnaces have a similar lifespan to a gas furnace, however rin some cases they can last even longer–about two decades–and maintain their efficiency rating throughout those years as well as the furnace is well cared for.
Plus, since there is no venting system required for an electric furnace as there would be with a gas furnace, the upfront cost of installing an electric system is typically less than a gas furnace. Homeowners also often choose to go the electric route if they don’t have easy access to the municipal gas line.
Perhaps the biggest reason many people choose to go with an electric furnace is due to safety. As we mentioned above, gas furnaces are not dangerous by nature. But with an electric system, you never need to worry about gas or carbon monoxide leaks and exposure. There are still of course safety issues if the system isn’t well maintained, but this would be true whether you go with an electric or a gas-powered furnace.
When you’re shopping for a gas or electric furnace in Damascus, OR, look no further than Clawson Heating & Air Conditioning for expert installation. Contact us today!