Natural Gas - A Smart and Responsible Choice

 

  While every home must have electricity, natural gas is a superior choice for all home-heating applications and the most efficient energy source for heat-generating appliances.

  In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy says homes with combined energy -- that is, homes with both electricity and natural gas like CPS Energy’s Smart Energy homes -- require at least 20 percent less total energy production than comparable all-electric homes.

  If you have a family with an active lifestyle and already have natural gas available in your home, consider gas instead of electricity the next time you’re in the market for a new appliance. 

  A gas water heater produces over twice as much hot water per dollar as an electric water heater and heats twice as fast. That means significant savings for the average family because water heating is the second largest home energy use. 

  While hot water from natural gas washes clothes more efficiently, today’s natural gas clothes dryers operate at less than one-third the cost of electric dryers. 

  Gas dryers can dry three loads of laundry compared to the cost of one load in an electric dryer.

  While natural gas offers comfort and energy efficiency for homeowners, it also is one of the most environmentally friendly energy choices.

  Natural gas produces fewer greenhouse gases than electricity in comparable-sized homes, reducing a home’s carbon footprint.

  Yes, gas appliances may cost more initially, but lower utility bills, cleaner energy use, and reduced maintenance costs over the life of those appliances, will more than make up that difference.

​

Natural/LP/ Gas vs. Oil Heat

​

For most people, the natural first question is the cost difference between fuels. In general, propane and oil prices fluctuate unpredictably, with propane tending to cost anywhere from the same to twice as much as oil per BTU. The lack of a clear choice based on fuel cost suggests that a broader analysis of each fuel’s pros and cons is a better way to arrive at an informed decision about the best fuel for you.

​

These facts may help guide you:

​

• Natural Gas/Propane emits 24% less CO2 into the atmosphere than oil, per gallon burned.

• 1 gallon of Propane contains 91,000 BTUs; 1 gallon of oil contains 139,000 BTUs.

• Natural Gas has 1,030 BTUs per cubic foot. 135 Cubic feet equals the heat content of one gallon of oil.

• Natural Gas/Propane boilers burn at 10-15% higher combustion efficiencies than oil boilers,

  exacerbating the pollution gap between natural/propane gas and oil, and narrowing the cost gap.

• Natural Gas/Propane boilers never or rarely need cleaning. Oil boilers need cleaning annually and

  their efficiency drops the further they get from their cleaning throughout the heating season. boilers do not need a chimney, allowing the chimney to be used for wood or pellet burning appliances. All oil boilers need their own dedicated chimney (which must be cleaned).

• Modern wallhung Natural Gas/Propane boilers modulate their firing temperature based on ‘outdoor

  reset control’, substantially increasing efficiency over the course of a heating season.

• Modern wallhung Natural Gas/Propane boilers modulate output to precisely match the load, while oil

  boilers only have two modes ‘full on’ or ‘off’, which is highly inefficient in the shoulder seasons.

• Natural Gas/Propane boilers pull combustion air from outdoors. Oil boilers pull combustion air from

  inside the home, which pulls cold make up air into the house.

• Oil boilers are ‘high mass’ devices consisting of about 500 lbs. of steel that must be fully

  heated to 180 degrees each time you need heat or hot water—and it is connected to a drafting chimney. These two factors result in significant annual ‘standby heat losses’ as excess BTUs from heating the steel go up the chimney and into the basement.

• As a result of the high mass design, oil boilers typically waste 1⁄2 to 3⁄4 of a gallon of oil per day, or roughly 180 gallons of oil per year, through standby heat losses.

• Natural Gas/Propane boilers are generally quiet; oil boilers are generally loud.

​

​