New Gas Furnaces vs. Oil Furnaces and Other Alternatives

Central heating furnaces are the most popular home heating system in large regions of America, and are also common in cold northern European countries. But most of those residential furnaces are old, highly inefficient, and a cause of high energy bills and pollution.

The replacement of these outdated furnaces is highly desirable, environmentally and economically.

Replacement with new furnaces

Replacement costs are typically in the range of $2000-$5000. All depends on the conditions of the existing ductwork and installation. Improvements or modifications of the duct system can make the installation costs rather higher.

See, for details: Furnace prices and payback

New gas furnaces vs. oil furnaces

Newer oil furnaces are clean and easy to install appliances. But gas furnaces are typically yet more cleaner and easy to run and with less maintenance needs, which explains their growing popularity.

Local prices may also make gas furnaces a better economic option in many states and regions, but there is no rule on this issue: some oil companies even allow price ceilings or guaranteed seasonal prices, which may make oil furnaces competitive.

New Gas Furnaces vs. Electric Furnaces

Electric furnaces are cheap and easy to install. But the electricity costs make them an uneconomical choice unless for sporadic and small uses. Besides, since electricity has typically a fossil origin, electric furnaces aren’t also environmentally-friendly.

See: Electric furnaces

New gas furnaces vs. Pellet wood furnaces

Gas furnaces are a well established and developed technology, which isn’t the case of wood and other biomass furnaces.

Current pellet-wood, corn and other biomass furnaces do not incorporate a fully matured technology and their market is rather unsettled (contrasting also with that of pellet boilers). Manufacturers are mainly small and their technological proposals are largely untested or based on traditional wood furnaces improvements.

New gas furnaces vs. other renewable alternatives

Modern gas furnaces are tested and efficient appliances, relatively easy to install. But gas prices are soaring and the prospects are exactly good. Besides, though new furnaces are environmentally much better than their outdated parents, they aren’t an environmentally-friendly solution.

That’s why you may want to consider other heating choices: the biomass furnaces, or other broader solutions. See: Alternatives to furnaces.