Heating Oil to Natural Gas: Should I Make The Switch?

Written on: March 9, 2020

With all the stories circulating about the advantages of natural gas over heating oil, it may be tempting to make the switch in your Pennsylvania home.
But before you do, consider the facts rather than the hype.
The truth is, there are many reasons to stick with heating oil rather than converting to natural gas.

Five reasons to stay with heating oil:

1. You’ll get a better bang for your heating buck – A modern oil-fired furnace or boiler is super-efficient, with some models reaching ratings of 95 percent. That’s particularly impressive when you consider that burning oil creates 40 percent more BTUs than burning the equivalent amount of natural gas. Keep all of that in mind when you are asked to invest more than $9,000 to convert your heating equipment.
2. Your equipment will last longer – Modern oil boilers and furnaces are well-built and dependable, with average lifespans that more than double those of their natural gas-powered counterparts. They typically cost less to maintain and repair, too.
3. You’ll keep the air cleaner – Today’s ultra-low sulfur heating oil (ULSHO), when combined with cutting-edge emissions-control technologies, keeps personal carbon footprints small. By contrast, the burning of natural gas produces methane – a gas that traps 100 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.
4. You won’t run out – Domestic oil production has reached its highest point since the 1970s, so supplies are plentiful. While most experts expect oil prices to stay lower for the foreseeable future, the price of natural gas is already starting to feel the strain of high demand and tight supply.
5. You’ll be safer – Heating oil requires a precise set of conditions to ignite – conditions that your furnace or boiler creates but ones that you won’t encounter inside your home. You can’t say the same for natural gas, which can explode in normal household conditions. And unlike natural gas, an oil heating system heat poses a very low risk of carbon monoxide poisoning; if an oil burner malfunctions (most often due to a lack of heating system maintenance), the safety devices in the unit will simply shut the furnace or boiler off.

Of course, if you do ultimately decide to make the switch to natural gas, be sure to contact us – our highly trained technicians will help you switch to natural gas as quickly and safely as possible.
Need help deciding if heating oil is still right for you? Contact Ace-Robbins today and let’s talk about it. If you decide to switch to natural gas, we’ll connect you to the grid so you can enjoy your new energy source right away.