2007-09-10 15:50:25 · 10 answers · asked by Cindy 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
this depends of where you live...if you live in the northern U.S. go with natural gas as it would be to expensive to use fuel oil or electric heat ....if you live in the southern U.S. i would definitely go with electric heat pump..if you have gas heat and your power goes out a 5 kw generator will drive your heat and allow you to stay warm....oil costs to much and most states will not not allow a buried or external tank anymore..
2007-09-10 16:07:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Without a crystal ball it is hard to know. Right now at this moment Oil is cost prohibitive. My buddy who delivers oil for a part time job says it costs nearly $400 to fill an average tank. In the 1990s it was less than half that.
When I bought my fixer house it had an oil furnace. When I tore that old furnace out I found the electric heating element from a dryer stuck in the plenum. During the 1970s oil price hike the people that lived here tried to make an electric furnace. I doubt that it worked very well.
I bet at that time they thought the price would never go back down but during the 1980s and 1990s it did. The price of oil might go back down again in a few years or it might stay high it is hard to tell.
Not so long ago natural gas was cheap and plentiful. That is not so anymore either. Natural gas is getting more expensive all the time because domestic supplies are running out. Unless they find new sources or a way to harvest the hydrates off the coast of the US we will importing. Natural gas will probably have the same price swings that oil has in the future.
In most places electric is a stable priced fuel. If you have a fair electric rate I would go with a heat pump if your in a southern climate. If you are up north you should look into a ground source/geothermal heat pump. That would be the cheapest operating cost.
If a heat pump is out of the question look for a 95+% efficient gas furnace. For now that would be the next most economical heat source.
Of course if you have a wood stove and a supply of cheap or free wood you can beat all the other fuels. I use my wood stove all winter almost exclusively and pay about $150 for the whole frigid Idaho winter.
2007-09-11 00:11:46 · answer #2 · answered by mike b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unless the oil heat equipment was free, the price alone of the oil makes the natural gas the only economic choice.
Natural gas is much more efficent, and the price per therm is much lower.
Not to mention some communities do not allow new oil installations due to storage tank issues(where I live you cannot install any heat source with an external(to your house) or in-ground storage tank)
Not to mention remembering or getting the truck to deliver oil. Have fun with that on Christmas morning on a Sunday in a snowstorm...
2007-09-10 23:00:08 · answer #3 · answered by W_Howey 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In most parts, Natural Gas is generally cheaper than Oil, BTU for BTU after it is burned.
Natural Gas also burns cleaner than Oil—less pollution, less cleaning— and you can get 95% efficiency units for Natural Gas.
Ask your local suppliers for the cost per BTU and divide by the efficiency of the furnace you wish to buy to get relative cost per BTU of heat for your house (the rest will go up the chimney).
Depending on where you live, a heat pump might make sense, because they can be up to 400% efficient. You can get 4 times more heat than the electricity you put in because it gets the difference from the air or water or soil outside. Heat pump efficiencies drop as the temperature of the medium drops. Electricity is usually cheaper BTU for BTU, but the higher efficiency may make more economical sense. Heat pumps also double as air conditioners. Depending on your house design, there are wall-mounted units that are quite economical.
2007-09-11 01:35:00 · answer #4 · answered by C2020 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go with the natural gas. Then you don't have to worry about having the tank filled or running out in the middle of the winter.
In my area of the country it is cheaper than electric. The oil is not as clean either.
good luck
2007-09-10 23:22:17 · answer #5 · answered by Fordman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have had both; would never have oil again; It leaves a dirty oily film over everything, that is almost impossible to clean.
Go with natural gas; it is warm, clean, and no problem when it comes to having to worry about having your oil delivered , it is right there all the time.
2007-09-11 03:22:21 · answer #6 · answered by llittle mama 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try Natural gas for your home.
2007-09-10 23:03:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Go electric, the power company is not always jerking your chain when OPEC or others want more money. At least you know what to expect from them.
2007-09-10 23:00:14 · answer #8 · answered by butch 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
oil is good but it is very expensive'
my grandparents have oil and they can't afford to keep refilling it, ihas gas its easy and does a wonder ful job
2007-09-10 22:56:32 · answer #9 · answered by jack 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally dislike oil heat..It caused me to have nose bleeds,my skin was horribly dry,and it was expensive and didn't heat that well..JMO
2007-09-10 22:54:16 · answer #10 · answered by Brat25 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋