Choosing Between A Gas and Electric Furnace

There are some home improvement choices that are difficult however purchasing a new furnace should not be.  This article will give you information on purchasing a new, energy efficient furnace for your home. This list will help serve as a guide of what you might want to look for when you are researching a new furnace for your home. 

The first decision to make is what type of furnace you will be purchasing. Will you be looking towards a gas or electric furnace?  This decision is often made easier when replacing an old unit as the duct work has been set for the one that is already in the house.  Your budget will need to increase if you are looking to convert from electric to gas or from gas to electric.  This is a personal decision as both methods provide energy efficient options and create the end goal; which is heat for your home.

Let us first take a look deeper into gas furnace systems.  When looking at a gas furnace it is important to point out that this option is more affordable than choosing to go with an electric furnace as a source of heat.  Of course this implies that a gas source is readily available and accessible.  It is important to point out that the downside to gas furnaces is the fumes related to burning fuel.  In a system that is well maintained the fumes generated are sent into an exchanger and then pushed through an exhaust fan out of the house.

When you have a gas furnace it is important to work in the cost of yearly maintenance.  With a gas system it is important to have the gas furnace system tuned up and checked out by a qualified furnace professional once a year before the season begins. They will check out the gas furnace system for holes, leaks or cracks.  A crack within a gas furnace system could lead to carbon monoxide seeping into your home which could prove to be deadly.

An electric furnace is the next option in home heating that the majority of homeowners choose.  Electric furnaces have a higher operating expense than gas furnaces however are generally safer as they do not use a flame and do not generate carbon monoxide.  Having an electric furnace rather than gas often proves to be a cleaner, safer way to heat your home.

The first and foremost decision for new construction or homeowners needing to replace their homes heating is to determine between gas and electric.  Many homes are equipped with systems currently but can be converted if desired.  It is important that owners weigh the pros and cons of both systems; the money spent on yearly maintenance for a gas furnace might be equal to the higher monthly bill of an electric furnace.  These are all cost verse savings estimates that need to be looked at when favoring one system over the other. 

Once this has been determined there are a number of other items that come into play and will be more dependent on the budget you have to outfit your home with a new furnace.  Options within the quality of the furnace, the furnaces efficiency, different control features and the noise the furnace produces. We will take a look more in-depth in another article in regards to the details of these features.