Furnaces are very valuable in the Oklahoma City area, as our winters can be frigid. Furnaces pump hot air through the home so that you and your family can relax in comfort even when it’s freezing outside. Unfortunately, furnaces don’t last forever. If it’s time to replace your aging furnace, you might be undecided about which kind to select: a gas-powered unit or one that uses electricity.

Picking the right furnace type for your home will depend on a wide array of factors unique to your setup and living situation. To help you make the right decision, in this guide, we’re going to explore the differences between gas and electric furnaces.

Gas Furnaces

Gas furnace heating systems use a pilot light and natural gas or propane to create warm air for your home. British thermal units (BTUs) are the measurement of heat output in a gas furnace, and higher numbers correlate with larger homes. Thus, selecting the right model and sizing for your home is critical. Since gas furnaces use a blower motor, they can sometimes be loud, which is why it’s a good idea to look for noise-suppressing features in your gas furnace model.

Of the two types of furnaces, gas is typically recognized as an efficient type of heating, and it’s also noted for its relative inexpensiveness. Gas furnaces heat homes quickly, so they are better in colder climates.

How Gas Furnaces Heat Your Home

It’s important to understand that gas furnaces utilize a heat exchanger, which makes the intrinsic heating method quite different. Heat exchangers allow two distinct substances to exchange thermal energy without directly mixing. With a gas unit, gas or propane is fed into the furnace via a pipe. This connects directly to the local supply line that your utility company manages. Within the components of the furnace is a burner, which is also called an igniter. The burner ignites the gas that flows in via the gas valves.

The ignited gas then heats up the heat exchanger. Cold air, which pumps into the furnace from your home, absorbs heat by flowing over the exchanger, reaching a preset temperature set by the furnace’s thermostat. The furnace’s burner then pushes the warmed air through your HVAC system’s ductwork and into the rooms in your home.

The Installation and Costs of a Gas Furnace

Installing a furnace that uses gas is best left to professionals, like the ones we have on staff at Home Comfort Solutions. A typical job entails first checking the existing ductwork, which ensures that it has the proper sizing for the new furnace. Then, we’ll start removing the old gas furnace, cleaning the ductwork, and modifying the connections if needed. Our staff will then place the furnace in position and connect the ductwork, electricity, and gas line.

From a cost perspective, gas furnaces tend to have a higher upfront cost than electric units. With that said, you might end up saving with a gas furnace since electric furnaces will garner higher utility bills.

How Long Gas Furnaces Last

Longevity is a well-known trait of gas furnaces. You can expect a freshly installed gas furnace to last anywhere between 15 and 30 years. Many last even longer. Of course, these long lifespans depend on how often you schedule regular maintenance. At Home Comfort Solutions, we suggest having at least yearly professional maintenance in the fall to ensure your furnace is ready for the cold weather.

Electric Furnaces

With electric furnaces, the system measures heat generation based on the resistance of the heating elements. As a general rule, electric systems are far less noisy than gas units since there are much fewer moving parts. Also, electric units are safer than gas systems because of the lack of risk from gas leaks and uncontrolled ignitions.

How Electric Furnaces Heat Your Home

As mentioned, electric furnaces do not use heat exchangers to heat the air circulating throughout your home. Instead, the heating element directly heats the cold air flowing from inside your home without worrying about the two substances mixing. The heating elements heat up using an electric current. After the electric current warms the air, the air is then pumped through your home’s ductwork so that it can warm the home.

One of the best features of an electric furnace is its efficiency; the overwhelming majority of energy supplied to heat the element transfers to the air. Similar to a gas furnace, the thermostat sets the desired temperature. For many, an electric furnace stands out because it’s a low-emission method of heating — they don’t directly burn fuel to generate heat.

The Installation and Costs of an Electric Furnace

From an installation perspective, electric heaters are much easier to install than gas ones, but it’s critical that you use a professional to install any heating systems. With electric units, there’s no interaction with potentially hazardous or hard-to-manage components, like gas lines. It’s relatively simple because the electrical work is the only real part of the process. For this reason, it’s slightly easier to switch from a gas-based system to an electrical one.

Looking at costs, electric furnaces are decidedly cheaper than gas ones — at least to start. You may spend more than a thousand dollars on a gas unit, but it’s important to understand that electric furnaces have higher operational costs. Since they use electricity, you will see higher electric bills, especially in the colder months.

How Long Electric Furnaces Last

When it comes to lifespan, there’s actually not a massive difference between what you can expect with a gas or electric furnace. Like gas-powered systems, electric furnaces can easily last up to 30 years. Also, like those systems, this heavily depends on how often you schedule regular maintenance. As furnace experts, Home Comfort Solutions suggests scheduling professional maintenance services every year before it starts to get cold.

Maintenance for Each Type

When it comes to furnace maintenance, each type of furnace has its nuances, so they may need more maintenance or less. For example, with a gas furnace, there isn’t much need for internal circuitry. However, this isn’t the case with an electric model. From time to time, a component might need replacement. However, gas furnaces have moving parts that assist in the combustion process, and these parts may need occasional maintenance and repair.

Trust Us as Your Local Furnace Professionals

At Home Comfort Solutions, we understand the pros and cons of each furnace type, so we can easily help you make an informed decision about the one that’s best for your home. We are furnace professionals with years of experience with heating services in the Oklahoma City area, and we understand the needs of the community. When it’s time for air conditioning and furnace maintenance, repair, or replacement services, give us a call. We also offer humidifiers, dehumidifiers, air purifiers, UV lights, zoning systems, and thermostats. We work hard to ensure the community has the comfort level it deserves.

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