Have you ever met someone that thinks dogs and cats are the same thing? Well, good because they’re not (at least not as far as we know). However, there are many homeowners out there that don’t know the difference between a gas or electric furnace. To be honest, since we work in the Pelham, AL HVAC services industry, that can be an appalling thing for us to hear.
We get it — if you don’t deal with furnaces as often as we do, how would you know the difference between the two? The problem is, you might be losing money or not be getting the effective heating solution that you could be receiving because you have the wrong type of furnace in your home. If it’s crazy to think that cats and dogs are the same household pet, wouldn’t it be just as absurd to think your electric furnace is the exact same as a gas one?
Let’s break down the difference.
Energy Availability
For most homeowners, the difference between whether to use a gas or electric furnace is determined mainly from the availability of natural gas. Not every home has access to a gas pipeline, which means that electricity is the only choice. That being said, there are some clear differences between the two systems.
Gas Furnaces
Gas furnaces are by far the most common type of heater seen in America. That’s not just by chance, these systems are reliable, powerful, and run on clean-burning natural gas that is also incredibly affordable. Since natural gas is so affordable, this usually means that a gas furnace is going to run cheaper than an electric furnace in most cases.
You might be thinking that a gas-burning furnace isn’t nearly as efficient as an electric furnace, right? Actually, gas-burning furnaces run incredibly efficient these days, over 90% and sometimes even 95% AFUE which means you’re almost getting a 1:1 ratio of energy to heat in your home!
Electric Furnaces
However, the truth of the matter is that natural gas pipelines aren’t available to every home. That’s where electric furnaces come in! These systems are just as powerful as a gas-powered furnace except with the main difference that they function on electricity. That means you don’t need any gas pipes installed in your home, you can use an electric furnace as long as you’ve got access to electricity.
Electric furnaces don’t produce carbon monoxide or any by-products of the combustion process because they don’t burn anything to function. While gas furnaces are still built to keep your home safe, an electric furnace takes the harmful exhaust from combustion out of the equation entirely.
The Bottom Line
Basically, electric furnaces are available pretty much everywhere, while gas furnaces are only available where there is access to a natural gas pipeline. Gas furnaces run a good amount cheaper than electric furnaces because of just how affordable natural gas is, but electric furnaces don’t rely on combustion and delete harmful exhaust from your home entirely. If you’ve got any questions on what other types of heaters are out there, don’t hesitate to call our team!
We’re your gas furnace experts here in Pelham. Call Sullivan Service Co today!
