Electric Furnace

Electric Furnaces

Electric furnaces are actually a fairly rare way to heat your home, and occur more often with geothermal heating. However, if an oil furnace does not seem feasible or in areas where natural gas is not available, electrical furnaces are a good option. Electric furnaces consist mainly of a resistor unit, which works like the burner of an electric stove, converting electrical energy to thermal energy. The heat warms air in the furnace, and travels through the ductwork of the house.
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Electric Furnace Advantages

Electric furnaces are compact and easy to install, reducing installation costs and easily fitting into nearly any space. They are also fairly inexpensive compared to other furnace types.

Electrical furnaces don't use pilot lights to ignite dangerous gases or chemicals, and thus are safer than traditional furnaces. Electric furnaces are also known to have a lifespan of 20-30 years and an 80%-90% AFUE.

Electric Furnace Disadvantages

The main disadvantage of electric furnaces is that electricity can be expensive. If the furnace is running constantly, a lot of electricity is going to be consumed and your electric bill will reflect this increase.

It is also important to consider that if bad weather knocks out the electricity, electric furnaces are not going to work at a time when you need heat the most.

Electric Furnace Cost

The average cost of an electric furnace is $1,000-$1,500, since there is no piping, fuel storage, or ducting to install. Additional costs of installation can reach $1,000-$2,000, but the overall installation and furnace cost is still lower than other furnace systems because of the limited equipment dependencies.
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Disclaimer: This article offers general guidelines and is not intended as professional advice. If you have comments, suggestions, or questions about this article or QualitySmith services, please contact QualitySmith at 1-800-525-5567.