Converting your furnace from oil to gas
Courtesy of Forbes.
In North America, at least, Oil prices have always hovered above natural gas prices on average – but the gap is growing as unrest in the middle east and uncertainty in Venezuela keep the prices of the black stuff up, all the while new technologies like the so-called fracking and horizontal drilling have made it easier than ever to set the gas free from its rocky confinement kilometers below the surface. Going oil to gas implies a high initial blow to your wallet but savings in the long term of about $1000 each year, give or take. In the past, it used to be the case that the initial cost of converting to gas would keep most people from going through with it because the savings in the long term were not significant but today, if you have an oil-fired furnace, you stand to lose a lot of money.
Natural Gas is kinder to the environment.
Conversion to Natural Gas is also “Greener”. Claims that Natural Gas is a “Clean” source of energy are up for debate because whereas it releases less greenhouse gases upon combustion, some of the methods used to extract it are not very kind to the local environment – nevertheless, it is the lesser of two evils.
Converting to gas can be done in two or three days in most circumstances – provided the utilities company has already ran a gas line to the home. Otherwise, that would be the lengthiest thing, to get the utilities company to run the line. In the Toronto Area, Enbridge and Union Gas are often eager to do this as it usually represents a long term customer gain.
In essence, if you are reading this and have an oil furnace and water tank in your home, you are losing money – transferring to Natural Gas has never been easier and despite the high initial cost, it comes with long term savings and peace of mind.
