Reasons to switch to a gas furnace from an oil furnace

Reasons to switch to a gas furnace from an oil furnace

"Upgrading your heating equipment to natural gas will save money"
Given the extraordinary technological advances in the furnace manufacturing field, it makes both economic and environmental sense to consider upgrading your model to a more current version. Furnaces from as recently as 20 years ago may offer as little as half of the heat production of today's models, while releasing significantly more harmful gasses into the atmosphere. If you currently have an oil furnace, it makes the most sense to look into upgrading to a natural gas furnace in order to maximize your investment.

There are many advantages to replacing your oil furnace with a natural gas variant. For one, oil does not burn as cleanly as natural gas, which means most oil furnaces require annual servicing to remove accumulated sulfur and soot. Upgrading your heating equipment to natural gas will save money (and mess!) by avoiding these yearly maintenance visits. You will also no longer have to deal with the smell of oil permeating your home.

Although all furnaces manufactured after 1992 in the United States are required to have AFUE ratings of 78% or more, many of today's furnace models exceed these minimums. While both oil and natural gas furnaces can now provide significantly more heating power than they could earlier, technological limitations prevent oil furnaces from being able to reach the AFUE scores in the high 90% range that some natural gas furnaces already have. For every percentage point higher the AFUE rating is, the more money you will save over the life of the furnace.

Another savings consideration is the price of natural gas versus the price of oil. While prices of either fuel are always at risk of sharp price hikes, market analysts expect oil to remain a more expensive option when compared to natural gas for the near future.

Today's natural gas furnaces now have such little gas to emit that chimneys are a thing of the past. Piping from the basement to the outside as narrow as eight inches is enough for a natural gas furnace to work efficiently. On the other hand, oil furnaces, because their exhaust fumes must be heated to a higher temperature in order to rise and escape (requiring added heat, mind you, that could otherwise be warming your home), need flues at least 18 inches wide to release harmful gasses properly.

While natural gas and oil furnaces are similar in many ways, most homeowners can enjoy slight to significant benefits by upgrading their current oil furnace to a natural gas model. Anyone with a furnace made prior to 1992 would be well advised to purchase a new unit and take advantage of the real financial savings a more efficient furnace can provide, especially given today's rising fuel costs.