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Oil and gas furnaces are both popular heating options for homes in the Greater Cincinnati area. Both types heat extremely quickly and effectively, making them ideally suited for our cold winters. While either option can be a great choice, each one has some advantages and disadvantages in certain areas. As such, it’s important to consider the pros and cons when trying to decide whether an oil furnace or a gas furnace is best for your home.
Efficiency and Heating Effectiveness
Furnace technology has come a long way over the years, resulting in all modern oil and gas furnaces being much more efficient than units produced in past decades. Nonetheless, gas furnaces still tend to be more efficient than oil furnaces overall. Furnace efficiency is measured in AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency), which expresses the percentage of oil or gas a furnace uses that goes directly into heating the house.
Most oil furnaces range between 80% and 89% AFUE. However, there are now a few manufacturers that produce condensing oil furnaces with AFUEs as high as 95% to 96.7%. The majority of gas furnaces nowadays are condensing units with AFUEs that range from 90% to 98.5%, but you can still find some conventional gas furnaces that are only around 80-85% efficient.
How efficient a furnace is doesn’t tell the full story in terms of energy use. Oil furnaces burn hotter than gas furnaces, meaning they produce more BTUs of heat per unit of energy used. Hotter flames allow an oil furnace to heat a house more quickly than a gas furnace, which can result in lower overall energy demand.
Upfront Cost and Operating Costs
One of the main reasons why many homeowners opt to install oil furnaces is that they cost less than gas furnaces. This is especially the case when considering more advanced models, such as two-stage or variable-speed gas furnaces.
Despite costing a bit more up front, gas furnaces still tend to be more cost-effective in the long run. Both natural gas and oil prices are somewhat volatile. Nonetheless, oil prices tend to be more unpredictable and can fluctuate much more. Oil prices are especially prone to spiking during colder winters, when demand for heating oil is much higher. With a gas furnace, you’ll be better able to predict your heating costs and avoid sudden spikes in fuel prices, which can put a major strain on your budget.
Another reason why natural gas furnaces are generally more cost-effective is that they have lower maintenance requirements. All furnaces should be maintained by a professional every year, but gas furnaces require less maintenance overall. Oil furnaces require regular cleaning to remove all the soot that collects inside them and to prevent the oil nozzle from clogging. If you don’t keep an oil furnace clean, it will quickly start working far less effectively and use much more energy.
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is one area where oil furnaces definitely reign supreme. The average lifespan of a gas furnace is around 15 years, though some units can last up to 20 years with proper professional maintenance. Most oil furnaces last 20 to 25 years, and some even continue to put out effective heat for 30 years. Making sure to schedule yearly maintenance and get any problems repaired promptly is key to extending the life of your furnace, no matter what type it is.
Environmental Impact and Safety Considerations
Burning natural gas or heating oil produces carbon emissions. Nonetheless, natural gas furnaces have a smaller carbon footprint and are considered less harmful to the environment. One reason is that most gas furnaces are more energy-efficient, but the primary reason is that natural gas burns much more cleanly and produces less carbon dioxide. In fact, a natural gas furnace produces around 30% less carbon emissions than an oil furnace does to generate the same amount of heat. Burning oil also releases other pollutants, such as soot, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter, whereas natural gas produces only carbon dioxide and water vapor. The soot and other pollutants from oil furnaces can be especially problematic in urban areas.
At the end of the day, the choice of which type of furnace to install is really a matter of personal preference and your specific priorities. At Rick’s Heating & Cooling, we specialize in installing both gas furnaces and oil furnaces and can help you find the perfect heating solution for your home.
We’ve been serving Morrow and the Greater Cincinnati area for nearly 40 years, and our experienced team is ready to expertly handle your heating needs. To schedule a consultation with one of our furnace installation experts, contact us today.
