While moving into a new home, or planning to replace your existing heating equipment, you may be confused over the choices you have. Either you can go for a gas heater or an electric one, depending on your specific needs and preferences. Affordability, safety, ease of installation and maintenance, and some other factors should be considered before making a purchase.
These days, people are keener to develop sustainable homes by installing the most energy-efficient heating system. While sustainability depends on a series of important factors like energy-efficiency, low carbon emission, and the type of fuel used, the choice gets all the more difficult and worth some research.
Keep scrolling to know which option will suit your requirements and budget the best.
Electric heaters
There are two main types of electric heaters namely, radiant and convection heaters. The radiant heaters give out heat in the form of infrared rays and are best for spot heating applications. On the other hand, convection heaters set up a constant warm air flow in an enclosed space by convection.
When buying an electric heater, you‘re the best judge to decide between them, depending on your specific requirements. Let’s now give you an idea about the perks of installing an electric heater.
Ease of installation
The electric heaters are easy to install, plug-in, and use. While wall-mounted heaters should be installed professionally, the installation process is cost and time effective, as it doesn’t require a venting system.
Affordability over gas heaters
These heaters are way pocket-friendly than their natural counterparts. If you have a tighter budget for home installation, you can opt for this heater without any doubt in your mind.
Ease of maintenance
You don’t have to break the banks to maintain the electric heater. You can do it yourself, even if you’re not an expert in such things, but make sure you get the help of professional technicians in case the system breaks down.
They are quite safe
Unlike gas heaters, the electric ones are safer, as their functioning doesn’t involve any fuel, which reduces the risks of carbon monoxide leakages that may be lethal in severe cases. However, the equipment should be maintained properly to minimize the chances of accidental fire due to system breakdown or electrical malfunction.
High durability
Most of the industry-standard heaters can last for 2-3 decades without much repair. Considering the low costs of purchase and installation, this can be an effective investment for effective home heating.
Whether or not you should buy an electric heater depends on the space you’re planning to install it. The experts at Reznorhvac.com feel that it’s suitable for spaces having no other gas heating system in place, be it the staircase, hallway, or the entrance of a building. You should do some research on your own to avoid buying a product at random.
Gas heaters
As the gas heaters require a chimney to vent out emission from the combustion, the installation process is a little more complicated and time-consuming than that of electric heaters. Further, a carbon monoxide detector should also be installed near the heater to prevent CO poisoning by fuel emission due to combustion.
The costs of these heaters are higher than the electric models and should be purchased for large spaces only to make the most of the investment. They also have a shorter lifespan than the former and require professional maintenance services every year to keep functioning to the best of their abilities.
Wrapping it up
It’s recommended to list down your requirements and specifications of a heating system to make the daunting choice between a gas heater and an electric one. Everything else will be easier once you make up your mind.
