With winter fast approaching, keeping warm is a hot topic on everyone’s mind. Many Australian households are using gas heating to fend off the winter cold. But is a gas heating furnace really superior to other heating methods? Here’s what you need to know about how a gas heating furnace works and why it’s the gold standard in home heating methods.
The Basics of Gas Heating
A gas heating system will consist of four basic components: the heater, ducts to carry the heat around the house, vents to release the heat into each room, and a thermostat. The heater works by moving cold air through a heat exchanger, which is kept warm by burning gas. The warmed air is then passed through insulated ducts that stretch from the heat exchanger to the various rooms of the house. The air is channelled into each room through a vent in the floor or the ceiling. The heater turns on or off based on the setting of the thermostat, a control panel usually installed near the main living area of a home. Any by-products of the gas combustion process are expelled from the house through a flue.
Gas Heating Compared to Electric Systems
The main alternative to gas heating is electric heating. The main advantage electric heating has over gas is that gas isn’t always readily available in all locations, but electricity is. Any neighbourhood in Australia is going to give you a quick and easy electric hook-up for your home, but sometimes special arrangements must be made to get a gas line installed. In the city this might be as simple as picking up the phone and making an appointment, but rural locations can prove a bit more challenging. If it’s available to you, gas heating is a great way to keep your energy bills down, and it causes fewer emissions than electric heating. Electric systems also tend to be easier to install. However, a gas heating system has lower operational costs than electric systems, and gas also produces more heat in a shorter amount of time.
Is Gas Heating Right For You?
If your home already has a gas line, it will probably make sense for you to take advantage of it to heat your home. If you don’t have gas heating available to you now, you might be discouraged by the extra cost to have a gas line installed – but it is definitely worth your consideration. The money you save by using gas instead of expensive electricity makes gas the more economical choice in the long run. Because gas is provided to homes by a network of underground pipelines, you may be out of luck if you live in a rural area. Given the advantages that gas offers over electric, though, it’s worthwhile to contact your energy company about future development plans in your area.
While electric heating is readily available anywhere, gas heating is almost always a better choice where it’s available. It’s cheaper, creates fewer by-products, and is a more efficient way of heating your home. If you don’t have it already, you owe it to yourself to consider installing a gas heating system in your home. It might end up causing some extra work in the short term, but the long term benefits are undeniable.
Is Electric Heating Better Than Gas?
The feeling you get when you walk into a warm house on a cold day cannot be compared to anything else. It’s great to know that after being outside for however long, you get to come back to a place where the cold is locked out. However, deciding what type of heating you should have is a different business. It can be tough, but as long as you have all the information, you’re going to make a good decision. Let’s have a look at the differences between gas and electric heating.
It’s Easier to Install an Electric Heater
Right off the bat, electric heating has a head start over gas. Having a gas heater requires you to also have a chimney that will take the smoke and other emissions outside. You might also want to have air duct vents around the house. As such, the installation is quite difficult, which means you should hire a professional. Plus, if you’re living in a place that doesn’t have a chimney, making one is really difficult. Electric heaters, on the other hand, are much easier to install. You can install the wall-mounted ones by yourself. You could also pick a portable electric heater, which needs no installation.
Which Heating System Is Better for Your Home?
If you have a large home you might require a gas heating system, as this type can heat up large spaces faster than electric heating. However, when it comes to smaller places, such as an apartment or a household with only a few members, electric heating is much better. That’s because the capacity of the storage tank is enough so as to not require re-heating after little time.
Which Method Is Safer?
Gas heating poses many risks when compared to electric heating. First, you have to ensure that the gas heater doesn’t leave the heating element exposed for children and pets. Most of the gas-heating companies out there do not deliver on this important feature. There’s also the risk of carbon dioxide leakage. If this occurs during the night, it is quite possible it will be fatal. There are some options for this, such as low-oxygen shutdown and tip-over protection. However, these still leave out the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, which is extremely dangerous. Additionally, even the issues that are taken care of aren’t 100 per cent solved. For example, the gas heating system could fail to shutdown before the oxygen level goes so low that it incapacitates you. All these issues pose very serious concerns. The good news is that electric heating has none of these problems. This makes it a lot safer for your home and for your loved ones.
When it comes to choosing between electric and gas heating, going with electric is the better option. To begin with, it offers a much smoother installation process than the other option. With gas heating, if you don’t have the chimney installed already you’re in quite a difficult position should you wish to have one. In addition to this, heating through electricity is much safer for your home. As such, electric heating is your best bet.
