The average furnace lasts between 15 and 20 years. If you plan on replacing your home furnace in the near future, you’ll want to keep reading to learn why more and more homeowners are choosing gas furnaces over oil furnaces. While not all homes need to switch to natural gas, gas furnaces allow you to reap many benefits.
For more information, the furnace installation contractors at A-1 Mechanical recommend reaching out to a heating and cooling company near you.
NATURAL GAS IS ABUNDANT
Natural gas is a plentiful resource through most of the United States and Canada, which is why many homeowners use it to heat their homes. Since natural gas is abundant, the cost of running a natural gas furnace is likely to remain stable and affordable. For this reason, choosing natural gas to heat your home this winter makes financial sense, especially if you choose a high efficiency gas furnace. Oil furnaces, on the other hand, are variable for how much they cost to run. Much of our oil comes from foreign countries, which is why the price varies over time.
MOST LANSING HOMES HAVE NATURAL GAS LINES
Most homes in the Lansing area are connected to natural gas lines. If this is the case for your home, you may want to seriously consider a gas furnace. Since the setup for a gas furnace is already in place, you won’t have to spend as much money on furnace installation as you would to retrofit an oil furnace.
YOU DON’T NEED A STORAGE TANK
Oil furnaces require a storage tank kept in the basement. You’ll also need to have oil delivered to your house when you’re running low on fuel for your heating furnace. With natural gas furnaces, you don’t have to deal with the hassle of fuel delivery. Instead, the utility company supplies natural gas directly to your home. If you’re tired of looking at a bulky storage tank taking up space in your basement, you may want to consider gas furnace installation.
GAS FURNACES ARE QUIET
If you have an oil furnace close to your home’s living space (not the basement), you may be tired of hearing all the noise it makes. Choosing to install a gas furnace can reduce the amount of noise you hear on a daily basis. Most homeowners appreciate the quiet operation of gas furnaces. Keep in mind that noise from your oil furnace may not be an issue if it is tucked away in the basement.
GAS FURNACES ARE ENERGY EFFICIENT
The cost to replace a house furnace is worth it if you invest in an energy efficient model. However, it’s important to understand the terms used to describe the differences between oil and gas furnaces. BTU (British thermal unit) refers to how much heat energy is produced while AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) measures energy efficiency.
While oil furnaces offer more heat per BTU, gas furnaces are more energy efficient. This means that burning oil produces more heat for your home, but burning natural gas takes less energy to produce the same amount of heat. If you are interested in paying lower energy bills, we recommend installing a high-efficiency furnace powered by natural gas.
The Lansing furnace installation contractors at A1 Mechanical are dedicated to helping you choose the best gas furnace for your home. We also offer furnace service and furnace repair for homeowners. If you are interested in our gas furnace installation service, be sure to give us a call at (517) 272-8629.