In Ohio’s cold, snowy winters, natural gas is typically the most energy-efficient way to heat your home. If you’re currently heating with electric or gas equipment that’s more than 10 years old, upgrading your heating equipment can help cut your energy bills. To find the heating method that’s best for you, make sure to explore all of the gas heating options available.
Furnace
A gas furnace burns gas to heat air. A fan in the furnace’s air handler blows this warm air into your home’s duct system, which distributes air to your rooms. Today’s gas furnaces reach efficiencies as high as 98.5 percent. Ducted forced-air distribution systems allow for filtration and humidification to improve your home’s air quality. Furnaces are relatively low-cost to purchase, and there’s a wide variety of models to choose from.
Boiler
A boiler burns gas to heat water or create steam. A circulator moves the hot water or steam into pipes that distribute it to radiators, baseboard heaters or radiant flooring in your home, depending on the boiler type. Although they can’t filter your home’s air, they don’t stir up dust, pollen and other air contaminants the way furnaces do.
These systems are somewhat less efficient than furnaces, rarely reaching efficiencies above 95 percent. What’s more, new boilers are usually more expensive than new furnaces.
Fireplace
Technological advancements have allowed gas fireplaces to achieve efficiencies around 60 to 70 percent. While that may not seem like much compared to a furnace, it’s still enough to help you efficiently supplement your electric heating system. It’s also possible to replace a wood-burning fireplace with a gas model.
Space Heater
Gas space heaters are another efficient way to supplement an existing heating system, especially if you use a ceiling fan to help distribute warmth. They work well for room extensions and other places your current heating system doesn’t reach. For safety reasons, choose a vented model with an automatic shut-off feature.
For more help choosing among all the gas heating options available, contact Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning in the Lorain, Elyria and Oberlin area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about gas heating options and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “CoraMax/Shutterstock”
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area