The upside of heating your home in America is that there is a dazzling array of different fuels available to make sure you don’t have to rely on blanket upon blanket during those long nights of bone chilling temperatures. Like so many other elements of life where choice is plentiful, however, the variety of home heating fuels can often inflict vertigo when it comes to deciding which heating fuel is the most efficient and inexpensive on the market. The choice becomes even more painful when it is revealed that each fuel has certain pros and cons.
Natural Gas
Natural gas is a natural choice for many homeowners, especially in the Northeast where it has been estimated that at least half the homes are heated by this particular fuel. There are many reasons why natural gas is preferred in a part of the country where the cold can almost be described as mean. The primary benefit comes with the efficiency of natural gas. Another big benefit is that natural gas can reach the home through lines rather than having to be stored on the grounds like propane. And users can use the power generated by natural gas to take warm showers and dry wet clothes. The cons of natural gas are literally explosive. Natural gas explosions in homes are not common but are not unheard of. More important for most homeowners is that natural gas comes with a monthly surcharge that is utterly independent of actual usage.
Electricity
Anyone who has ever had to clean out a dirty chimney can tell you right away one of the pros of this kind of power to heat a room. Electricity, which is the most common heat source in the southern U.S., is cleaner and safer than gas or oil. The ventilation and duct system is easier and cheaper to install and maintain than gas lines or oil tanks. It is even easier to control the temperature setting for individual rooms by adjusting the vents. Sounds pretty good, right? The problem is that electricity is not as efficient for heating a home as it is for cooling it, which is probably why you will find electricity used more in warmer climates than cold climates.
Oil
Heating a home with oil is almost as efficient as using natural gas and far more efficient than using electricity. Oil trumps gas because it is far less likely to explode and leave the house in a state of charred cinders than natural gas; it doesn’t introduce a carbon monoxide danger like with natural gas; and oil doesn’t necessitate a monthly charge like natural gas. So why do so many people prefer natural gas to home heating oil? One big disadvantage to using oil to stay warm is that oil must be stored on the premises. Among the other considerable cons that keep oil from being the king of heating fuels are the very high danger of ground water contamination and the potential for high temperature exhaust. The smell of oil may also be a consideration for some people.
Heat Pump
A heat pump, like electricity, is a much cleaner animal to deal with than natural gas, oil or any kind of fireplace. Unlike a standard electrical heating system, however, the heat pump is more efficient for heating purposes even though heat pumps are designed for more temperate climates. The reason is also the biggest drawback to the heat pump’s design. The lower the temperature falls outside the home, the less efficient the heat pump becomes. In fact, at roughly forty degrees, the heat pump begins to switch over to a backup program that is more akin to a standard electricity unit, ensuring that a heat pump is basically the home heating unit of last resort for bitterly cold climates.
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