Advantages of Propane Furnaces

Home heating and water heating are two of the largest energy-consuming activities in the average homeowner's budget. Because of the rising cost of natural resources, such as oil, natural gas and electricity, many homeowners have investigated the idea of switching to alternate fuels that are not in as high of a demand yet and that are more efficient or more economical in the long run. Propane is one such fuel. Propane is a hydrocarbon-based fuel which is refined as a part of the gasoline-making process. Numerous advantages exist to switching to a propane furnace, which are seen readily when looking at cost savings and maintenance information.

Lower Cost

Compared to electricity, propane has a number of advantages. An electric furnace costs more to run. Because propane is about 50 percent of the cost of electricity for a comparable amount of heating energy, this instant savings nearly pays for the cost of the furnace and related tanks and installation work in about five years. By switching from electricity, the demand and price of which have been steadily rising in most areas, homeowners can realize an instant savings.

Propane is also warmer heat. Propane furnaces can provide heated air up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, while the average electric heat pump produces, at most, 95-degree air. In addition to requiring less cost to operate, homeowners generally feel more comfortable with a propane furnace, and the furnace actually runs less to produce the same amount of comfortable warm air, saving both energy costs as well as wear and tear on home heating equipment.

Propane furnaces can run even when there is no electricity, so during a power outage--perhaps from an ice storm in the dead of winter--a home is still heated by a propane furnace, whereas an electric heat pump is most likely inoperable. In addition, the propane furnace produces less emissions than an oil furnace and even less emissions than the equivalent amount of coal required to produce the electricity that a heat pump uses.