Gas versus Electric (how much, fireplace, furnaces, water heater)

[Hoosier]

With the price of gas skyrocketing today I'm wondering if it affects natural gas for the home. We have a gas furnace and are soon to purchase a new one. I'm wondering if it would be wise to go with an electric furnace. We live in Minnesota so it does get down to -20 to -30 for at least a week during the winter. Other than that it's much warmer, 0 to 10 degrees the rest of the winter. Any thoughts?

[cdelena]

Originally Posted by Hoosier

With the price of gas skyrocketing today I'm wondering if it affects natural gas for the home. We have a gas furnace and are soon to purchase a new one. I'm wondering if it would be wise to go with an electric furnace. We live in Minnesota so it does get down to -20 to -30 for at least a week during the winter. Other than that it's much warmer, 0 to 10 degrees the rest of the winter. Any thoughts?

Nat gas prices have increased some 50% in the last year so it is good to be aware. Electricity prices are also on the rise and electric heat is often not very efficient. I would suggest sticking with gas but investigating ways to increase efficiency.

[JBrown]

Originally Posted by cdelena

Nat gas prices have increased some 50% in the last year so it is good to be aware. Electricity prices are also on the rise and electric heat is often not very efficient. I would suggest sticking with gas but investigating ways to increase efficiency.

You couldn't be more wrong....You and most other folks...

You confuse "efficent" with cost per delivered BTU.

Electric based systems are EXTREMELY VERY EFFICENT. You know the exhaust stacks that carry away exhaust by products and HEAT away from a furnace & water heater heater ?? Do you see any of them on an electric based system,...NO you do not !!... That's because 100% of the energy used by an electric sysytem is used to actually heat the "product" (H2O or living space". Not true with an oil or gas system.

And BTW...don't tell me about heat loss thru the side walls etc of a furnace and or water heater. That's true ...and the same...for both cases so it's a wash..

What you are "thinking" of is that on a per delivered energy unit, electricity tends to be more expensive.. That's generally true , but efficiency has got nothing to do with it....

[Stephan_K]

As JBrown mentions, there is a misconception with electric heating. Electric is 100% efficient. Gas is not. Analysts are expecting nat. gas prices to double by next winter. In turn, electric costs will go up as well but probably no where near what gas will.

Any more the way gas has increased and electric, while increasing, has not increased near as much as gas, the cost of electric to heat your home is probably comparable to gas if not cheaper in some regions.

Heating cost all depends on how much you are paying for each. Do a heat loss calc for your home. Once you have that number then it's simple math to figure out how much it will cost to heat with each.

I used this one. It is very accurate and figures much of the cost for you too. Home Heat Loss Calculator

[cdelena]

Sorry I used the wrong terminology... of course I was referring to the amount of heat you get per dollar... or more correctly the number of dollars needed to heat the particular space. The key word I used was 'investigate' as electricity prices vary greatly and types of systems vary. The OP is from Minnesota so electricity prices are (currently) moderate and it must work in very low winter temps, but there many other variables to check out.

Some of us have had to live with electric heating systems that were far more expensive to operate than a gas system so we are too quick to marginalize them. Obviously the decision may depend upon many more conditions than we will post here.

[harborlady]

Originally Posted by Hoosier

With the price of gas skyrocketing today I'm wondering if it affects natural gas for the home. We have a gas furnace and are soon to purchase a new one. I'm wondering if it would be wise to go with an electric furnace. We live in Minnesota so it does get down to -20 to -30 for at least a week during the winter. Other than that it's much warmer, 0 to 10 degrees the rest of the winter. Any thoughts?

Hoosier- No one can make up your mind for you, and both have their pro's and cons, but I'd like to add a few things to consider in your purchase that should help you decide best.
1. No choice you make will be cost effective if you aren't insulated well.

2. Are your utility rates reasonable? 18cents a kwh would kill you in winter operating costs. That price is also subject to prevailing market somewhat.

3. Can you offset electric heat costs by generating electric yourself somehow? Gas and coal prices do tend to hedge against the price of oil by and large, because no matter how you slice it electricity is created by using a fuel of some sort (unless you're in renewable market).

4. If the power goes out, how do you keep your pipes from freezing? Rochester NY was crippled during an ice storm in 89/90's time- people were really hurting. Buffalo blizzard 70's same thing. Consider not having all your eggs in one basket with extreme weather conditions area. EPA higher efficiency wood/coal stove augmenting either electric or gas choice could make up the difference and keep any market price spikes under your control instead of at its mercy.

Civilization can only help you out so much, and we don't control market prices when manipulation of oil is going on. Those who keep self sufficiency in mind have the security & market insulation others don't. Food for thought.

[evilnewbie]

You know whats weird... I hear people with gas furnaces and they complain about hundreds of dollars in bills every month... the people with electric furnaces don't really complain and they "seem" to be at the same temperature... they say their electric bills are not that high... I don't really know why... it just "seems" to me that electric cost less than gas... I will probably go with electric myself just from my own experience... I lived in an apartment and it actually cost less during the winter months than summer months and we had an electric furnace... I remember staying in a gas furnace and the bills were high... I mean really high... I couldn't believe it... but this is just my own unique experience...

[silverfox]

Personally I would have a heat loss Calc. done on my house as a first step. You will probably find you need to spend the first dollars on upgrading your insullation ie. ceilings , floors, windows, walls, doors.

Next I would consider where we are going in this country as far as energy goes.
I already have done my homework and I will choose Electric for the longer term.
Much of the short term has to do with comparing current rates in your area.
Propane and oil and natural gas are not in unlimited supply so they will respond as the supplies get tighter.
Either Nuclear, or some other new technologies will be the wave of our future. That will translate into electricity.
So ....here is my Battle plan....

1. Do your reseach on all available electric options for your main heat source. Be careful in your research.

2. Install a natural gas or propane heat rated fireplace that will cover you if there is a major power outage. Make sure you pick one that will operate without power.ie..no fan,
Or have a Generator for standby.

3. Do you DD on insulation products available as the have changed over the years.

4. This is going to cost some DOUGH.....how long do you plan to stay in this house???

Good Luck...

Silverfox

[texdav]

If you compared natural gas to electirc in many appliances they are way more efficent than electricity.A heat pump is the most efficent electirc heating but not as good for a cold climate. Heat pumps are very good in a wramer climate except of course elctricity is itself not as reliable as gas in being delivered.

[southernnaturelover]

Geothermal is the way to go but it is expensive. It actually pulls heat out of the ground.