For many homeowners, there’s an obvious choice between an electric furnace an a gas furnace. People choose whatever will cost the least and will provide the most comfort, and most of the time this will be a gas furnace since natural gas is affordable and these systems are very powerful. But not every homeowner in our area is going to be able to use a gas furnace, and some may be much better off with an electric furnace.
We’d be lying if we said that electric furnaces didn’t have their own fair share of problems that required furnace repair in Boise, ID. But as long as you’ve got a professional team of furnace technicians on hand, like ours, then you’ll be all set for the future.
Let’s talk about some pros and cons of electric furnaces, and why your home might be perfect for one!
Initial Prices
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. While individual model prices may differ, electric furnaces will more often be cheaper to install than gas furnaces. This has nothing to do with their ability, but rather the materials they’re made from.
Electric furnaces are constructed to use electrical resistance and heat up a coil. This is much simpler technology than the intricacies of a gas furnace. Thus, the complete set up of an electric furnace can be a lot less expensive when compared to its gas counterpart.
Homes That Are Off the Grid
It’s important to remember that not every home is going to have access to natural gas. The set up of gas lines can be extremely expensive and way out of budget for most homeowners, which is why electric furnaces provide a great alternative option.
Improved Efficiency and Sustainability
A natural gas furnace has one type of fuel–gas. There’s no real way around this. However, an electric furnace is powered by electricity which comes from a wide variety of sources. While sure, some municipalities will use the energy produced from the burning of fossil fuels, most will also use sustainable sources of energy like solar, hydroelectric, and wind!
This means that you can actually heat your entire home by using a sustainable energy source, depending on where your municipality gets its energy.
Repairs Are Safe
Electric furnaces can still run into problems. The coils can break, the capacitors can wear down and require replacement, and you’re still going to see the same amount of problems that you would with a gas furnace. For all of those issues, you can call our team for support.
The good news with an electric furnace is that none of these problems will involve the burning of fuel or combustion. This makes many homeowners feel safer knowing that there are no burning flames hidden beneath their home and that there’s no danger of carbon monoxide entering your home’s air.
We’re not trying to say that gas furnaces are dangerous. They’re inherently extremely safe. However, we understand that some homeowners might just try to steer away from any and all appliances that use flames.