Gas, Oil, and Electric Heating Equipment

Gas, Oil, and Electric Heating Equipment Heating your home during the winter can be one of the most expensive costs you will encounter.  There are many different technologies available to heat your home, and they all have varying levels of efficiency and value.

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What are my options?
Energy saving tips

What are my options?

Gas and Oil Furnaces. With a forced-air furnace, a blower forces heated air through supply ductwork to condition indoor spaces.  Room air is drawn back into the furnace air plenum to be reheated and distributed.  A central air conditioner can be easily combined with the furnace for cooling.  A furnace has an average life of between 18 and 20 years.

Gas and Oil Boilers. Boilers heat water, which is then distributed throughout the home by means of a water pump and distribution piping.  Once the heated water reaches the living area, it is circulated through radiators, baseboard convectors, radiant floors, or heating coils in air handling units to condition indoor spaces.  The water is piped back to the boiler for reheating.  A boiler has an average life of 25 – 50 years.

Combined Systems. Combined systems merge domestic hot water and space heating into a single appliance.  Water is heated within the unit to supply hot tap water or is piped to an air-handler to supply forced warm air for space heating.  Commonly-available systems use high-efficiency sealed combustion units or conventional tank-type water heaters.

Electric Resistance Heaters. Conventional electric baseboard and electric furnace system combine low first costs with high operating costs.  Baseboard heaters do not use ductwork systems and therefore eliminate duct leakage losses.  They also permit room-by-room temperature adjustments that can reduce energy needs through zoning.  Electric furnaces offer neither of these features, but can be adapted for central air conditioning.  Radiant panels, mats and under-floor grids may provide heat where other types of systems cannot be used.

Electric Heat Pumps. Heat pumps provide both heating and cooling from a single system. In the heating mode, air-source heat pumps draw energy from outside air, thus they heat most efficiently when outdoor temperatures are above freezing. At lower outdoor temperatures, built-in electric resistance heaters with much higher operating costs, kick in to maintain adequate heat delivery.

A heat pump with a microprocessor defrost control can save energy by "learning" to defrost only as needed. A heat pump should have an outdoor lock-out thermostat that keeps the supplemental heater off when the outdoor temperature is greater than the heat pump's "balance" point (usually 25 to 40°F). Air-source heat pumps have a service life of about 15 years.

Ground-source heat pumps (often called geothermal) draw energy from or deposit energy into the relatively constant temperature of soil or groundwater. Although excavation or well drilling costs may be high, ground-source systems are more efficient than air-source heat pumps and cost less to run, because the earth or groundwater is a warmer heat source than air in the winter and a cooler heat sink in the summer.

Additional information can be obtained from the Department of Energy's Geothermal website.

Space Heaters. Space heaters are typically used when the main heating system is inadequate or when central heating is too costly to install or operate. In some cases, small space heaters can be less expensive to use if you only want to heat one room or supplement inadequate heating in one room. They can also boost the temperature of rooms used by individuals who are sensitive to cold, especially elderly persons, without overheating your entire home.

Space heater capacities generally range between 5,000 Btu and 40,000 Btu per hour. Common fuels used for this purpose are: electricity, propane, natural gas, and kerosene (see the Wood-fired Equipment Section for information on wood and pellet stoves).

Although most space heaters rely on convection (the circulation of air) to heat a room, some rely on radiant heating; that is, they emit infrared radiation that heats up objects and people that are within the direct path of the radiation. Radiant heaters are a more efficient choice when you will be in a room for only a few hours, if you can remain within line of sight of the heater. They can be more efficient when using a room for a short period because they avoid the energy needed to heat the entire room by instead directly heating the occupant of the room and the occupant's immediate surroundings.

Safety is a top consideration when using space heaters. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that more than 25,000 residential fires every year are associated with the use of space heaters, causing more than 300 deaths. An estimated 6,000 persons receive hospital emergency room care for burn injuries associated with contacting hot surfaces of room heaters, mostly in non-fire situations.

When buying and installing a small space heater, follow these guidelines:

Only purchase newer model heaters that have all of the current safety features. Make sure the heater has the Underwriter's Laboratory (UL) label attached to it.
Choose thermostatically-controlled heaters, since they help avoid the energy waste of overheating a room.
Select a heater of the proper size for the room you wish to heat. Do not purchase oversized heaters. Most heaters come with a general sizing table.
Locate the heater on a level surface away from foot traffic and combustibles. Be especially careful to keep children and pets away from the heater.

Be careful of advertising for Electric Resistance Space heaters!  They do not save the money you think they will.  See this link for more information: Amish Space Heater Testing

Vented and Unvented Combustion Space Heaters. Space heaters are classified as vented and unvented, or "vent free." Unvented combustion units are not recommended for use inside your home, as they introduce unwanted combustion products into the living space, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and water vapor. The units also deplete the air in the space where they are located. Most states have banned unvented kerosene heaters for use in the home and at least five have banned the use of unvented natural gas heaters.

Vented units are designed to be permanently located next to an outside wall, so that the flue gas vent can be installed through a ceiling or directly through the wall to the outside. Look for sealed combustion or "100% outdoor air" units, which have a duct to bring outside into the combustion chamber. Sealed combustion heaters are much safer to operate than other types of space heaters, and operate more efficiently because they do not draw in the heated air from the room and exhaust it to the outdoors. They are also less likely to backdraft and adversely affect indoor air quality.

Less expensive units use the room air for combustion. They do not have a sealed glass front to keep room air away from the fire and should not be confused with a sealed combustion heater.

In addition to the manufacturer's installation and operating instructions, you should follow these general safety guidelines for operating any combustion space heater:

For liquid-fueled heaters, use only the approved fuel. Never use gasoline!
Follow the manufacturer's fueling instructions.
Never fill a heater that is still hot.
Do not overfill the heater; you must allow for the expansion of the liquid.
Use only approved containers clearly marked for that particular fuel, and store them outdoors.
Have vented space heaters professionally inspected every year.
If the heater is not vented properly, not vented at all; or if the vent is blocked, separated, rusted, or corroded, dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO) can enter the home causing sickness and death. CO also can be produced if the heater is not properly set up and adjusted for the type of gas used, and the altitude at which it is installed.

Electric Space Heaters. Electric space heaters are generally more expensive to operate than combustion space heaters, but they may be the only unvented space heaters that are safe to operate inside your home. Although electric space heaters avoid indoor air quality concerns, they use an electric element, still carry the hazards of potential burns and fires, and should be used with caution.

For convection (non-radiant) space heaters, more expensive types incorporate a heat transfer liquid, such as oil, that is heated by the electric element. The heat transfer fluid provides some heat storage, allowing the heater to cycle less and to provide a more constant heat source.

When buying and installing an electric space heater, you should follow these general safety guidelines:

Electric heaters should be plugged directly into a wall outlet. If an extension cord is necessary, a heavy-duty cord of 14-gauge wire or larger should be used.
For portable electric heaters, buy a unit with a tip-over safety switch, which automatically shuts off the heater if the unit is tipped over.

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Energy-Saving Tips

Backdrafting. The pressure-induced spillage of exhaust gases into interior living spaces – is uncommon but can be a health hazard.  When used in a tightly-sealed house, a gas furnace with traditional “atmospheric” venting may be in danger of backdrafting under unfavorable conditions.  Oil fired furnaces have power burners, and are less likely to backdraft, but the possibility still exists, especially if the chimney becomes restricted or blocked.

To minimize the risk of backdrafting, install equipment with a sealed combustion system that brings combustion air in directly from the outside, and exhausts combustion gases to the outside through a sealed vent pipe.  Equipment without sealed combustion may be installed indoors in a sealed mechanical room that has adequate ventilation from the outside.

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