If you’re in the market for a new heating system for your home, then you have many options available to you. One of the more popular options these days is to go with a furnace. These are fairly inexpensive, energy-efficient, and available in models that burn different types of fuel.
What Is a Gas Furnace?
A gas furnace is a heating appliance that uses natural gas to generate warmth for your home. It uses a series of ductwork that is connected to all the rooms throughout your house to distribute heat and circulate air to ensure a stable indoor temperature. All gas furnaces are controlled with a thermostat.
How Does a Gas Furnace Work?
Newer gas furnaces use an electric igniter that produces a spark to ignite the natural gas as it goes into the burner assembly. This mixture of air and fuel will create combustion that produces heat. The heat is transported into metal chambers inside your furnace, where it eventually comes into contact with your blower fan. This heat will transfer to the air inside your ductwork, and your blower fan will work to deliver that hot air to the different rooms throughout your home.
No On-Site Storage Required
When it comes to other types of fuel-burning furnaces, like those that utilize heating oil and propane, you must have a storage tank on-site. Typically housed either in the basement or outside your home, these tanks can take up a lot of space and aren’t very aesthetically pleasing.
When you opt to go with a natural gas-burning furnace, it will be powered by natural gas that is directly piped into your home. This eliminates the need for having any on-site storage. It also helps to ensure that you have a consistent supply of fuel and never have to wait for delivery. This can give you peace of mind about your wintertime heating needs.
Cheaper Operating Costs
Another advantage of investing in a gas furnace is that it’s much cheaper to run than other options. Natural gas is cheaper to purchase than heating oil or propane. Furthermore, it’s significantly more affordable than paying for electricity to run an electric furnace. With cheaper operating costs, you can enjoy spending less money for your utility bills during the winter months.
Mostly Clean-Burning
As with any sort of fuel-burning furnace, there will always going be some exhaust fumes emitted. However, natural gas is known to be one of the cleaner burning fuels. It produces mostly water vapor mixed with a small amount of carbon dioxide. By burning natural gas, you can leave behind a smaller carbon footprint than you would with other types of fuels.
Quick Heating
One lesser-known advantage of investing in a gas furnace is that it can provide your home with more comfort. Whenever your furnace kicks on, natural gas will burn at a higher temperature than other types of fuel. This will help to produce more heat for your home in a timelier fashion.
Readily Available
Natural gas is now readily available across most of the country. With more and more rural communities getting access to it each year, natural gas is going to be around to stay for quite a while. You can have peace of mind knowing that your gas furnace won’t be obsolete any time soon.
Works With Existing Ductwork
Gas furnaces are designed to operate as forced-air systems, meaning one in which a blower fan circulates air throughout the ductwork. If your home already has existing ductwork for your old heating or existing air conditioning system, then it’s quite simple to have a new gas furnace installed. In fact, many HVAC companies offer convenient oil-to-gas conversions so you can switch from a costly heating oil furnace to a more energy-efficient natural gas furnace.
Less Expensive Than Heat Pumps
When homeowners are looking for energy-efficient heating systems, their options are essentially narrowed down to furnaces and heat pumps. When comparing the up-front investment into these systems, it immediately becomes clear that the price of a furnace is around half of what a new air-source heat pump system would cost. This lower initial expenditure makes them much more affordable for the average homeowner.
Effective in All Types of Climates
When comparing new heating systems, it’s important to take your specific climate into consideration. While heat pumps can be efficient, they only operate with peak efficiency in mild climates. However, the tried-and-true gas furnace has been shown time and time again to be effective at heating homes in all different types of climates. It’s truly a universal heating system that all can enjoy.
Tax Rebates
These days, gas furnaces are available in high-efficiency models. While they do cost more up-front, they can more than pay for that extra initial expense in energy savings over the years. The beauty of investing in one of these high-efficiency gas furnaces is that it makes you eligible for some tax incentives. Thanks to the federal government’s Inflation Reduction Act, homeowners can get back up to $600 of the purchase of their new furnaces in the form of tax rebates. Only select high-efficiency gas furnaces are eligible for this offer. Furthermore, many local municipalities and state governments are also offering tax incentives for homeowners who purchase these high-efficiency models. This is all in an effort to encourage homeowners to reduce their energy usage.
Greater Longevity
A typical furnace that burns natural gas will have an expected life span of around 15 to 30 years, assuming it gets proper maintenance and upkeep. On the other hand, an oil-burning furnace will only have an expected life span of around 15 to 20 years. This longer lifespan is because natural gas burns much cleaner and won’t cause an excessive buildup of dirt, grime, and other debris on the furnace’s internal components.
Enhanced Home Value
Modern homeowners are becoming more concerned with the specific types of heating systems they have. Homebuyers want to invest in a system that is eco-friendly and relatively inexpensive to operate. A natural gas furnace is one of the best options to fit this bill. Therefore, it will go a long way in helping to increase your home’s overall resale value.
Ease of Maintenance
A gas furnace is a fairly simple heating system that’s very easy to maintain. As a homeowner, you’ll need to replace the air filter about every two to three months. The frequency for changing filters will vary from one household to the next. It depends on numerous factors, like how many pets you have and whether you smoke. You’ll also need to schedule professional maintenance service once a year during the fall. This service will take care of cleaning and inspecting the system’s internal components.
Reliable Furnace Service
Meade’s Heating and Air offers reliable furnace service for customers throughout Sterling, VA and the surrounding areas. We can also help with all your heating, cooling, indoor air quality, ductless mini-split, water heater, ductwork, air duct sealing, and gas line needs. Contact our friendly staff today to schedule your next service appointment.
