What to Look at When Comparing Gas and Oil Furnaces for Your Houston Home

When it’s time to choose a new heating system for your Houston home, you want to select one that works best for your particular situation. A common choice that homeowners face is a gas vs. oil furnace. Here are some of the major differences between these two heating systems.

• System price: In general, oil furnaces cost less than comparable gas models. You can often expect a gas furnace to cost 10 to 25 percent more than a furnace that burns fuel oil.
• Fuel cost: Fuel oil prices are known to fluctuate frequently and are usually higher than prices for gas. Natural gas is plentiful and the prices stay relatively stable.
• Fuel availability: To use a gas-fueled furnace, you have to be able to get a natural gas supply from a local utility company. If gas utility connections aren’t available in your geographic area, you won’t be able to use a gas furnace.Oil furnaces, on the other hand, use fuel oil that’s delivered and stored onsite in a large tank, which means they can be used anywhere that will also accommodate a storage tank.
• Efficiency: Natural gas is a more efficient fuel than oil, which means it provides more heat at a lower cost compared to fuel oil. Gas wastes less energy and is more cost effective than oil.
• Maintenance: Both types of furnaces will require regular preventive maintenance to keep them working properly, but gas furnaces tend to need less attention than fuel-burning models. Maintenance, tune-ups and cleaning can be more costly for fuel-based furnaces because of the combustion byproducts such as soot that can build up in the system. Oil-based models also have more components that need to be changed, such as oil filters.
• Environmental friendliness: Gas is a much cleaner fuel alternative than oil, which makes it the more environmental friendly choice.

Davis Air Conditioning and Heating has more than four decades of experience providing professional HVAC services to customers in Houston, Galveston, Sugar Land and Brazoria. Contact us today for help when you’re considering a gas vs. oil furnace for your home heating needs.

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