Home Heating Options: Choosing Between Gas and Oil Heating

Heating is an essential part of any house. Regardless of what system you prefer, it’s important that it functions properly to provide the ideal indoor temperature in order to keep your home comfortable. Today’s article from your new heating system installation company, R.A. Biel Plumbing and Heating, Inc., talks about the features, advantages, and disadvantages of gas and oil heating.

What to Look For

The efficiency rating of your furnace should be the first thing to consider. This particular rating, known as Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE), measures the efficiency of a furnace’s combustion. The higher the rating, the better the efficiency. New oil heating furnaces have an 80% to 90% AFUE rating while gas furnaces have an AFUE rating between 89% and 98%. While gas furnaces have a higher efficiency rating, they cost 10% to 25% more than their oil furnace counterparts.

Note that these price differences are for the machines themselves, and not for the fossil fuels they use.

Oil Furnaces

HVAC units such as a new air conditioning system, oil, and gas furnaces all provide the British Thermal Unit (BTU), an internationally accepted measure of the energy needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water to one degree. Your oil equipment will provide more heat per BTU. However, you need an on-site storage tank and the oil needs to be delivered when it’s time to refill the tank. Oil furnaces can easily be cleaned and maintained by a professional servicing company.

Gas Furnaces

While they cost more than oil furnaces, gas furnaces tend to be more quiet and clean. Your home will need to be near or in an area where the gas supply is readily available. On the plus side, gas is more affordable than oil and gas furnaces have a higher AFUE rating.

Turn to R.A. Biel Plumbing and Heating, Inc. for all your HVAC needs. We also offer plumbing repair services. You may call us at (505) 672-7888 or (970) 884-3358.

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