Electric Furnaces versus Gas Furnaces
Although gas is the dominant fuel used to power forced air heating furnaces in the United States, it is also possible to purchase and install and all-electric furnace. What the, should a consumer who needs a new or replacement furnace do? Is electric preferable to gas, or is gas the better choice for most people?
This brief guide to the issue of electric furnaces versus gas furnaces will help you decide.
Energy Usage in American Households
According to the United States Department of Energy, the single task of heating water accounts for approximately fourteen percent of all energy that is consumed in the home in this country. That may seem like a large percentage, but it pales in comparison with the energy figure for providing air conditioning and heating. Combined, these two household needs account for almost half (44%) of all household energy consumption.
At current rates charged for natural gas and propane, in most regions of the nation it is less expensive to heat your home using a gas furnace than an electric one. However, ongoing operational costs alone are not the only factor you should consider when deciding the issue of electric furnaces versus gas furnaces. You should also keep in mind that electric furnaces are easier to install and are generally incapable of producing toxic fumes. If these issues matter to you, electric may be the better choice.
Are Electric Furnaces More Environmentally Friendly than Gas Furnaces?
Some people claim that electric furnaces are more friendly to the environment than their gas cousins. Their argument in favor of this view states that since gas furnaces burn fossil fuels and electric furnaces do not, it only stands to reason that electric furnaces are more eco-friendly.
This argument is specious because it assumes that electricity is either created out of thin air, or at the very least that it’s created in a way that does no damage to the environment. In actual fact, more than 95% of domestic electricity in the United States is created through the burning of fossil fuels, notably oil, gas, and coal, the last of which produces far more pollution than the other two. This electricity is then delivered over high voltage power lines to end users, but during this transmission of power, much electricity is lost. Therefore, power plants must produce much more electricity than a furnace needs, in order to deliver sufficient power to the unit. The production of the excess (unused) electricity means that more fossil fuels must be burned than would be the case with a fossil fuel burning furnace that consumes them at the site where heating is desired.
Therefore, electric furnaces cannot be regarded as being particularly environmentally friendly. The exception to this rule, however, is if electricity is indeed being produced by means of renewable energy technologies. These include windmills and photovoltaic cells that produce solar energy from sunlight. Some people also consider nuclear power to be environmentally friendly because it produces little pollution aside from the inevitable problem of how to safely dispose of nuclear waste.