When it’s time to have a heating system installed in your house, whether it’s a replacement system or the first system for a new home, you have more choices than ever before. Furnaces are by far the most popular type of residential heating system—but what type of furnace is right for your house?
The furnace debate often comes down to a duel between the electric furnace and the gas furnace. Gas furnaces create immense heat output. Can an electric furnace compete? Will one be enough to keep your family warm over the winter?
Yes, An Electric Furnace Can Keep Your House Warm
Electric furnaces are found across the country and in many different climates. Provided that an electric furnace is correctly matched to a house (more about this below), it will definitely be capable of handling the winter chills and see that residents stay comfortable and safe.
What you need to keep in mind when considering an electric furnace is that it is more costly to heat a home with an electric furnace than with a natural gas one. Electricity is a more expensive source of energy than natural gas, although how expensive depends on where you live. However, electric furnaces have a lower price for their upfront installations, and they do not have the same safety concerns as gas furnaces, and this makes them attractive options for some households.
Findtiung Right Electric Furnace for the Job
Electric furnaces are categorized by the wattage they use. Household models range from 5 kilowatts to 50 kilowatts. The more kilowatts, the more heat the furnace produces. However, you don’t want to guess at the kilowatts for a new electric furnace, since a wrong choice will mean either a furnace that can’t deliver sufficient heat to the house or a furnace that wastes a large amount of energy.
This is where professional sizing comes into play. An HVAC installer will determine how much heat output is necessary for comfort in your house, factoring in square footage, insulation, windows, the number of people in the home, heat from lighting, and more. The final heat load calculation will tell the professionals what size of electric furnace is ideal to meet your needs.
Electric Heating Alternatives
If your house doesn’t have natural gas power at all, the electric furnace isn’t your sole option for heat. You may wish to consider a heat pump, which is a refrigerant-based system that operates like an air conditioner, but it can change the direction it works so it brings heat into a house during cold weather. A heat pump can save some homes hundreds of dollars per year compared to an electric furnace. However, heat pumps cost more to install, and are best for when a household needs both a new heating and air conditioning system.
No matter what furnace (or other HVAC system) you need installed or serviced, your Howell, MI furnace requires the attention of top licensed professionals. That’s why were here.
First Choice Heating & Cooling: If Your Home Had a Voice, It Would Call First Choice!