We have been asked numerous times what fuel is the best to use when purchasing a new heating system for your home or business. It is a difficult question to answer because there are so many variables that need to be answered in order to respond to that question. When we look at fuels you can use to heat your home, the most common fuels are natural gas, electricity, propane, and oil. There is also wood and coal, but these are not as common in use as the previous fuels listed. Today we will talk about natural gas.
Natural gas: Natural gas is measured in a term called “therms”. A “therm” of gas at 100% efficiency will provide approximately 100,000 Btu’s of heat. Natural gas, at the present cost, can certainly provide lower operating costs in comparison to propane and oil. Of course, the more efficient the furnace or boiler, the better your operating costs will be. Below are a couple of examples of what natural gas costs for every million Btu’s you purchase. We will consider the cost of natural gas at $1.50 per therm
- A furnace or boiler at 70% efficiency (most boilers or furnaces produced prior to 1980 – $21.43.
- A furnace or boiler at 80% efficiency (boilers and furnaces manufactured between 1980 and 1995) – $18.75.
- A furnace or boiler at 90% efficiency (boilers and furnaces built from 1995 to present) – $16.67.
- A furnace or boiler at 95% efficiency (boilers and furnaces built since 2010) – $15.00
Please keep in mind that these are cost for every million BTU’s that your furnace or boiler would consume. Every home or business will be different based on the heating requirements of the building. When we survey a home for heating, one of the first things we do is calculate what the heating requirements will be through a computer software program.
So, if you have natural gas available, it is certainly a fuel you may want to consider. Besides using natural gas for your furnace or boiler, you can also use it for a stove or oven, clothes drier, or heating your domestic hot water.