When choosing how to heat your home and power your appliances, you have to consider convenience, effectiveness and cost. You may also want to make a more environmentally-friendly choice. There’s a longstanding debate over whether it’s better to use natural gas or electric for your home heating, hot water and appliances. There are some significant advantages to choosing natural gas over electric for heating as well as your home appliances.
Benefits of Gas Furnaces and Water Heaters
Heat and hot water are among your highest utility bills. They also make a big difference to your comfort. Here are some points to consider.
- An electric furnace may cost less up front than a natural gas furnace. However, in the long run, it will save you money in utility bills as gas is cheaper than electricity.
- Gas heaters will heat up water faster than electric water heaters. Similarly, gas furnaces heat up your home faster than electric furnaces.
- Similar to a furnace, gas water heaters often cost more than electric heaters but will reduce your long-term costs with lower utility bills.
Gas vs Electric Appliances
Appliances such as stoves, ovens and clothes dryers are another area where you have to choose between electric and natural gas.
- Electric appliances will not work in the case of a blackout. You’ll still be able to use gas appliances even when the power is out.
- You’ll generally spend less on monthly utility bills with gas appliances compared to electric.
- Many people prefer gas stoves for cooking as they provide you with instant heat and give you more control over the temperature than electric stoves.
Natural Gas is the “Greener” Choice
If you’re weighing the benefits of natural gas and electric, you may want to consider the environmental impact of each. Natural gas is, in several ways, a cleaner, greener, and more environmentally friendly type of energy.
- Natural gas burns cleaner than most other fuels, including electricity. It releases little carbon dioxide, mercury, sulfur dioxide and other potentially harmful emissions than alternatives.
- Appliances running on natural gas are more efficient and use less energy. This is good for the environment as well as saving you money.
- Electric is often considered clean energy, but this can be deceptive. The majority of power plants that produce electricity use fossil fuels. A significant portion of these fuels is shipped from overseas. By contrast, most natural gas is produced in the United States.
Choose or Switch to Natural Gas
If you currently have electric heat or appliances, you may want to consider switching to natural gas. The only consideration is that you need to be in a location where gas lines are available. However, most homes in the United States have access to both natural gas.
If you’re considering building a new home, why not build it so that you can take advantage of the benefits of natural gas? Covenant Homes will work with you to build a beautiful custom home that’s designed to your specifications. We’ll also show you the many advantages of using natural gas in your home.
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