You probably grew up in a house heated by a furnace, and you probably now live in a house heated by a furnace. Despite the availability of boilers, heat pumps, radiant floor heaters, and ductless systems, furnaces have remained the most popular form of home heating system for many decades.
Furnaces, on the other hand, exist in a variety of forms that use various energy sources. Electric and gas furnaces are the two most common types found in houses. If you’re in the market for a new furnace, you’ll have to decide which type is ideal for your needs. Our team at Mid-State Air Conditioning and Heating has years of experience installing furnaces in Brentwood, TN and the surrounding areas, and we’d be happy to assist you in making the best decision and performing the necessary installation work.
Here are some distinctions to be aware of between the two types of furnaces:
Gas furnaces have more heating power
When it comes to sheer heating power, very few heating systems can compare to a gas furnace. A gas furnace can produce a lot of BTU (British Thermal Units) and keep even the coldest house warm.
Electric furnaces last longer
Electric furnaces have the advantage of being long-lasting. Because furnaces do not use combustion gas or emit exhaust, they will not age as quickly as a gas furnace and will therefore last longer (provided they have regular maintenance).
Electric furnaces do not use heat exchangers
A gas furnace transfers heat to the air by collecting high-temperature combustion gas inside a heat exchanger, which is made of metal. The metal’s heat warms the air that passes around it. Electric furnaces, on the other hand, use heating elements that burn hot as electricity runs through them to heat the air directly.
There’s one thing that both of these furnace types have in common that many people are unaware of: they both require electricity to operate. During a power outage, many homeowners trust that their gas heater will continue to run and keep their home warm. However, certain critical electrically driven components of gas furnaces, such as the blower fan and the electronic ignition system, are powered by electricity. So, even though a gas furnace generates heat from natural gas, it still requires some electrical power.
Is it necessary to use gas with an electric furnace?
Electric furnaces use the same electricity as the rest of your home’s appliances. Heat is generated by passing electricity through heating devices. A blower blows cold air past these superheated components, heating it before sending it through ducts to your home’s living areas. The principle should be recognizable to anyone who owns an electric space heater: in many ways, an electric furnace is a whole-home space heater!
Electric furnaces, like gas furnaces, are required by the government to have an AFUE of at least 80%. Many versions, on the other hand, can approach 96 or 97 percent AFUE, bringing them on par with gas furnaces in terms of efficiency.
What are the benefits of an electric furnace?
An electric furnace may be the best option for your home for a variety of reasons:
- Electric furnaces do not require a pre-existing gas line connection to offer consistent warmth to your house.
- Electric furnaces typically live longer than gas furnaces, so you may not need to replace it as frequently as you would with a gas furnace.
- Costs: While prices vary depending on the model, many electric furnaces are less expensive up front than gas furnaces with equal AFUE ratings and amenities.
What is the difference between an electric and a gas furnace?
It’s a gas heat exchanger if you notice a blue flame. A little metal panel will be easy to remove on other units. You can look behind you to see if there’s a blue flame. Electric systems do not have an access window or panel, and they are quiet.
What is the working principle of an electric furnace?
Did you realize that heating and cooling your home accounts for roughly 45 percent of your power bill? When the weather begins to cool, it’s critical to understand where your money is going. We’ll cover all you need to know about electric furnaces and how they work in this video.
What’s an electric furnace?
In the United States, most people use central air to heat and cool their houses. A blower motor inside a furnace or air handler pulls air from the house in a central air system. Depending on the season, the air is then heated or cooled and sent back throughout the house via the ducting and vents. Because natural gas or propane are not available in certain homes, the home is heated with an electric furnace or air handler.
How does an electric furnace work?
Have you ever looked into a toasting toaster? An electric furnace heats your home in the same way as a toaster does. An electric furnace is made up of a cabinet that houses a blower motor and heating coils. A heat package or heat strip is another name for the heating coils.
An electric current travels through the heating coils when the thermostat calls for heat, making them extremely hot. The air warms up and the temperature inside your home rises as the blower motor in your furnace pushes air over the heating coils. The thermostat instructs the system to shut down once the appropriate temperature has been reached until heat is required again.
How does an electric furnace compare to a gas furnace?
Because they both heat your home, an electric furnace and a gas furnace appear to work the same way at first glance. However, there can be a significant difference between them. To begin with, they are efficient. An electric furnace is extremely energy efficient, as it can utilise all of the energy it consumes. The efficiency of a gas furnace is assessed by its AFUE rating, and it can convert 80-96 percent of its fuel into heat, resulting in waste. For example, an AFUE rating of 80 percent suggests that up to 80% of the fuel is used to heat the home, while the remaining 20% is wasted.
The next step is to put it to use. If you reside in a warmer region, you may be able to heat your home with merely an electric furnace in the winter. Electric furnaces, on the other hand, can quickly become expensive in cooler climates, such as here in Central Ohio, due to the high cost of power. Electric furnaces are frequently utilized in conjunction with a heat pump and are only used as supplemental or “emergency heat” in these situations. Even in frigid weather, high-efficiency heat pumps can provide consistent heat.
Finally, there is equipment maintenance. The operation of a gas furnace necessitates the use of various mechanical components. An electric furnace, on the other hand, has fewer internal parts, making maintenance easier.
Which furnace is right for me?
You might be asking yourself, “Which furnace is best for me?” Which is better: electricity or natural gas? The answer to that question is contingent on a variety of factors, including:
What city do you call home? In the winter, if you live in the southern United States, you probably don’t need much heating. As a result, an electric system or an electric furnace in combination with a heat pump would be appropriate. If you live in a region where it gets chilly for long periods of time, though, you should consider a gas furnace and air conditioner. That isn’t to imply that you can’t use electricity to heat your home. Electricity has generally been more expensive than natural gas, therefore it will most likely be more expensive.
Access to fuel sources is also a deciding issue. Natural gas is not available in all homes. In these circumstances, an electric furnace or a heat pump are viable options.
Next, are there any indoor comfort issues you’d like to address? Do you have problems with humidity? Unpredictable temperatures? Are there hot and cold spots? These issues should be addressed by the furnace you purchase.
Finally, consider your budget and how long you intend to stay in your current residence. If you anticipate on staying in your house for the next 10-15 years, you might want to go with the more expensive system. However, if you plan to sell your home soon, replacing your old system with a new, entry-level furnace can increase its selling value.
How much does an electric furnace cost?
The cost of electric furnaces and heat pumps is determined by a number of factors, including the unit’s size, efficiency rating, add-ons, and any modifications required during installation. When it comes to HVAC, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution.
What can you do next?
Let’s chat about the next steps. We’re pleased to assist you if you’re thinking about buying a new electric furnace or heat pump. If you live in Central Ohio and are within our service area, go to our website and select “Schedule Estimate.” One of our residential sales representatives would be happy to go over your options with you and help you find the ideal solution for your house. Thank you for watching, and we hope to make your day a little brighter.
Is it expensive to run an electric furnace?
Electric furnaces are more expensive on a monthly basis. Electric furnaces are more expensive to operate on a monthly basis than gas furnaces. Because electricity is more expensive per unit than natural gas, the lifetime cost of electric heating is higher than that of gas heating.
It takes longer to heat with electricity. Your furnace’s heat won’t reach the same high temperatures as a gas furnace. This means you’ll be colder for a longer period of time.
The efficiency of electric heating is lower. It takes more energy to heat the air circulating throughout your home with electric heating. In addition, electric heating is “dirtier” than gas heating. Finally, this furnace’s primary source of electrical power is coal combustion, which is worse for the environment than natural gas.
Is there a pilot light on an electric furnace?
Electric furnaces, like gas furnaces, have pilot lights. Are there pilot lights on all electric furnaces? Obviously not. In electric furnaces, the trend of replacing pilot lights with electronic ignition systems was similar to what was happening in gas furnaces.
That is to say, most electric furnaces with pilot lights were manufactured prior to 2010. We notice fewer and fewer electric furnaces with pilot lights after 2010.
You can consult the manual for more information. If you’ve misplaced it, look for it on your furnace’s basic specification sheet and look at the build date. If your furnace was built before 2010, it very certainly has a pilot light. It will almost certainly feature an electronic ignition system if it was manufactured after 2010.
I hope this information will assist you in determining whether or not your furnace has a pilot light. It’s also crucial to realize that electronic ignition systems are preferable to pilot lights because they don’t waste gas or electricity to operate.
Is it cheaper to heat with gas or electricity?
On the surface, the cost of gas vs. electric heating appears to be significantly lower. A single kilowatt-hour (kWh) of gas costs roughly 4.65p, whereas a kWh of electricity costs more than 20p on average. However, this does not imply that electric heating costs four times as much as gas!
So, is electric or gas heat cheaper?
Using off-peak electricity, traditional electric heating can be twice as expensive as gas heating.
Electric heaters are about 100 percent efficient, which is why they are so popular. In other words, they convert all of the electricity they utilize into heat. A gas or oil-fired central heating system is not the same. Even a boiler with an A rating wastes roughly 10% of the energy in its fuel. It’s possible that some heat is lost through the piping. The boiler and its pumps require only a tiny amount of electricity to operate.
How can you make your electric heating system more cost-effective?
Electric heating systems that are low-cost can typically be timed to take advantage of off-peak tariffs as well. When the average cost of 1kWh of power is less than 10p, it is considered off-peak. You can also get smart controllers for your home’s heating that you can operate from your phone. You don’t even have to be home to turn it on or off, or to set a timer for it to heat your home when you return.
Is a gas or electric furnace more efficient?
Electric furnaces are more efficient than gas furnaces. Its annual fuel-utilization-efficiency (AFUE) rating might be as high as 100%. The efficiency of a gas furnace can range from 55 to 97 percent. The type of unit chosen and the amount of heat lost through a gas furnace’s flue or other locations are the most important elements in the difference.
Energy efficiency refers to the amount of energy converted into heat by the furnace, not the rate at which it heats your home. Electric furnaces convert almost all of their energy into heat, but gas furnaces have a wide range of efficiency. Despite their lower efficiency, gas furnaces heat homes more quickly than electric furnaces.
In a gas furnace, an alternative to the typical pilot light, such as an intermittent, direct spark, or hot surface ignition, can improve efficiency. In areas with hard winters, the increased expense of a more efficient gas system will almost always be offset by lower fuel expenditures.
Furthermore, because the heat produced by a gas furnace is hotter than that produced by electric coils, it will heat the home faster. Gas heat is a superior option for colder climates because of this, as well as the lower cost of natural gas. In a warmer region with less demand for heating, an electric furnace may be a preferable choice because to its lower initial cost and lower maintenance requirements.
What does it mean to have an electric furnace?
An electric furnace is a heating chamber that uses electricity as a heat source to melt and alloy metals and refractories at extremely high temperatures. The metal is just heated by the electricity, which has no electrochemical impact on it. Furnace powered by electricity
Why is the air coming out of my electric furnace so cold?
So you’ve switched on your furnace, but it’s blowing frigid air and giving you the cold shoulder.
So, before you call a professional, consider these four furnace troubleshooting techniques.
Is your furnace blowing hot air some of the time and chilly air the rest of the time? It’s possible that your thermostat’s fan is turned on.
The blower, which circulates air throughout your home, is controlled by the fan setting. Setting it to ON means the blower will run continuously, regardless of whether the furnace is heating the air or not, which is why you get cold air from time to time.
Make sure your thermostat’s fan setting is AUTO rather than ON. The blower will only turn on when the furnace is heating the air.
A clogged air filter restricts airflow over the heat exchanger of the furnace, causing it to overheat. When your furnace overheats, a high limit switch trips, shutting down the furnace burners and preventing the heat exchanger from cracking.
Follow these steps: Check the furnace filter and turn off the furnace at the thermostat. If it’s filthy, replace it. It’s possible that you’ll need to hire a professional to help you reset the furnace.