Here in North Texas the question of heating, oil vs. natural gas, for the home is easy to answer: natural gas wins, hands down. Although a new natural gas furnace may cost a little more up front than an oil-burning furnace, the lower operating costs and higher efficiencies of gas furnaces easily make up the difference within just a few years of operation. Here are a few reasons why natural gas heating makes more sense than oil heating in our area:

Natural gas is cheaper. Domestic natural gas prices have been relatively low and stable the past few years and are not subject to the whims of the world energy markets like fuel oil prices are. On a BTU-equivalent basis, natural gas currently costs less than a fourth the cost of fuel oil. A typical home heated with natural gas will have fuel costs between $500 and $1000 per year, whereas a home heated with oil will have fuel costs approaching $3000 per year.

Natural gas is abundant in our area. Here in North Texas we are located in the middle of the nation’s natural gas supplies and close to pipelines that deliver it to us. Homes heated with oil are common in the Northeast where gas is more difficult to access, but most homes in the McKinney area are heated with gas.

Natural gas delivery is simple and constant. Gas is delivered continuously via pipelines straight to the furnace, whereas homes heated with oil require deliveries by truck to a home fuel storage tank.

Natural gas is clean. Gas furnaces require little maintenance compared to oil furnaces which are subject to soot buildup and corrosion due to impurities in the fuel. Gas also produces less carbon than oil on a per-BTU basis, so it is a wiser environmental choice for home heating.

Call us at Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating for advice on heating, oil vs. natural gas, in your North Texas home. If you have an oil-burning furnace, we can help you decide whether to convert it to gas or to replace it with a new high-efficiency gas model.