The approaching winter makes many Kirkland residents think about the steps they will take to keep their homes warm. In addition to being comfortable, a warm home is good for your family’s health, safety, and well-being. Two popular heating options are space heaters and forced-air heating systems that use a furnace. Which one is the best option for your home this winter?
Is a Space Heater a Good Heating Option for This Winter?
Electric space heaters have been around in some form since the late 1800s. They are compact, portable, and provide almost instant heating since they are designed to heat a small space.
If you are looking at heating just one room, energy-efficient space heaters can cost as little as $0.10-$0.15 an hour to operate. These factors could make it seem like a space heater represents the best heating option for your home. However, there are other factors you should consider.
You Can Only Heat Small Spaces
Space heaters can only heat a small space. They were never designed to heat a large room or to be the primary source of heat in your home. While one space heater may only cost between $0.10 to $0.15 an hour to operate, you will need multiple space heaters to keep your entire home warm. Just heating five rooms could cost you $0.75 an hour, $18 a day, and more than $500 a month. Heating an entire home with a natural gas furnace costs a fraction of that, especially an energy-efficient one.
Serious Safety Issues
It is estimated that space heaters yearly cause around 1,700 fires in the United States. These fires lead to several serious injuries and deaths.
Space heaters require constant supervision. You have a plastic or metal box with metal filaments conducting electricity to produce heat. If the space heaters are left unattended, they may tip over, debris could fly into them, or they could be too close to clothing or furniture and start a fire.
Even if a space heater does not start a fire, the simple fact that you have an apparatus in your home that is at the level of children or pets and is reaching an extremely high temperature is a recipe for disaster.
With a high-efficiency forced-air gas furnace, safety is not a major concern. All of the heating takes place within an enclosed apparatus that is located in your basement or another location that is far removed from easy access. Modern furnaces have several safety features, making them a superior option.
Space Heaters Do Not Last
Most space heaters are designed to last for one or two years before they start to show problems. Indications that a space heater is on its last leg are if the space heater is making loud noises, it smells funny, or it is not heating properly. Using a space heater that’s been previously damaged only increases the risk of serious injury or damage to your property.
Conversely, high-efficiency forced-air furnaces, if they are properly maintained, can last for 15 to 20 years, if not longer. At Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning, we are proud to be the leading experts in the field of HVAC system maintenance and repair. We are happy to help you determine the HVAC system that’s right for your home and then schedule regular maintenance and repairs.
Reasons to Consider a High-Efficiency Furnace System
A high-efficiency furnace will help you minimize your carbon footprint, save money on energy bills, and make you feel comfortable in your home. The upfront cost of the system is higher. In the long run, you save money.
Unless you live in a home that just has one small room, a high-efficiency furnace system will always be more efficient than a space heater. If you determine whether it is worth the cost to replace your existing forced-air heating system with a high-efficiency heating system, you will have to consider things such as the climate where you live, the condition of your current heating system, and the size of your home.
What Makes High-Efficiency Furnaces the Best Option?
A lot of it has to do with how high-efficiency furnaces operate. A high-efficiency natural gas furnace heats your home using natural gas. Unlike their lower-efficiency counterparts, high-efficiency units have two heat exchangers to store fuel. This means that they will be able to produce heat with more than 90% of the fuel they burn and with less than 10% of the fuel being wasted.
Lesser efficient units may only use 70% of the fuel they burn for energy. Of course, having a higher-efficiency furnace does not always mean it’s the best option for your home. The technicians at Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning are happy to work with you to evaluate your home and help you identify the right unit for your needs.
The Benefits of Getting a High-Efficiency Furnace
Several benefits await you if you have completely discarded the idea of a space heater and determined that your home is a good fit for a high-efficiency furnace. Since you’re using less energy to heat your home, you will notice a reduction in your energy bills.
Newer furnaces are designed to work with a wider range of thermostats, including smart thermostats that give you even greater control of when and how your house is heated. High-efficiency furnaces are eco-friendly. They have minimal carbon emissions and a positive impact on the environment.
High-efficiency furnaces run quietly and are often equipped with features for improving air quality. When you use a space heater to heat your home, there is no type of filtration offered. This makes high-efficiency furnaces the best option for people who have asthma, are living with allergies, or simply want to improve their overall respiratory health. Plus, a quieter furnace means that you can sleep through the night. Space heaters shouldn’t be left on while you sleep, which means you’ll be cold during the night.
Finally, high-efficiency furnaces are built to last, but only if they receive regular maintenance. It is recommended that you have your unit serviced once a year at the beginning of the fall season, right before you need to turn your unit on for the winter. Getting your furnace ready will help ensure that you get the most out of its high-efficiency technology and reduce the risk of emergency repairs. You’ll also be confident that your unit is going to work when needed to keep you warm during the Washington winters.
Working With HVAC Experts
Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning is proud to offer high-quality heating and cooling to the residents of Kirkland and Western Washington. Our experienced team works with many different brands and models. We have more than two decades of servicing your area, and our technicians are licensed, NATE certified, and insured.
The services we offer include Heating repair, installation, and maintenance in Kirkland, WA. We install heat pumps, provide indoor air quality testing, install gas fireplaces, and offer electrical installation, repair, and maintenance services as well. Contact Black Lion Heating & Air Conditioning today to see for yourself how far we are willing to go to exceed the expectations of our customers.