Story of natural gas availability for space heating.
About half of all US homes use natural gas (source – eia.gov) for water, cooking, and heating, and our home state of Pennsylvania is the fourth largest consumer of natural gas in America. However, EMCO Tech Heating and Cooling – Emergency Maintenance Co. routinely fields queries from customers interested in converting their homes from oil or electricity to natural gas.
Emergency Maintenance Co. has helped customers throughout the Philadelphia area, including the surrounding communities of Bucks County, Montgomery County, Chester, and Delaware Counties, safely and effectively switch to natural gas. If you’re a local consumer, you’ve likely found this page because you’re interested in natural gas. Below we answer your most common questions about making the switch to natural gas.
Natural Gas: Consistent, Reliable, Cost-Effective, and Environmentally Friendly
Are you thinking of switching to natural gas? We applaud your choice!
After all, gas heating systems offer a reliable and consistent heat source, which may cost less than half of your electricity costs. Depending on your utility costs and your heating system’s efficiency, you can expect to pay about $34 per million BTUs of heat for an electrical system or approximately $14.02 per million BTUs of heat for a natural gas system (read post at weekand.com).
Natural gas is also a better choice for the environment. As the San Francisco Chronicle notes, “Despite the relatively high efficiency of most electric heaters, electric heating is inherently inefficient.” According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), on the other hand, burns much cleaner than coal and poses much less damage to the environment, according to the EPA, on the other hand, natural gas “burns much cleaner than coal and poses much less damage to the environment” (article at weekand.com).
Many utility companies and most states, including Pennsylvania, offer rebates for purchasing new, energy-efficient gas heaters to incentivize consumers. To learn more about your cost-savings options, contact your local utility or EMCO Tech Heating and Cooling formerly Emergency Maintenance Co. today.
How to Switch to Natural Gas Heating:
When switching to natural gas, you must consider several variables.
- Is natural gas available in your area?
To answer this question, you should contact your local utility or natural gas utility company. For the Philadelphia region Emergency Maintenance Co. services, most homes have easy access to natural gas. Pennsylvania is second only to Texas in statewide natural gas production, and most areas have the infrastructure to support natural gas.
- Partner with a reputable HVAC company.
Once you have confirmed that natural gas is available in your area, you will need to contact an HVAC company to help you seek the proper permits and install a new gas line. From this stage on, you can count on your preferred HVAC company to handle most of the details.
- Install the pipeline and order the appliances.
After installing your gas line, your utility will hook you up to the main neighborhood pipe via your meter, which will gauge your monthly usage. In tandem with this process, your HVAC company will help you choose the best appliances for a new system. That includes any necessary upgrades with natural gas hook-ups and your new natural gas heating system.
- Installation of new heater and appliances.
Your HVAC company should be able to install the elements of your new system quickly without much disruption to your routine. Your new set-up will then be inspected for compliance. If everything is good to go, your utility will turn on the gas. Then and you can start enjoying the clean and efficient cost-saving energy of natural gas.
Switching to Natural Gas Heating: The Costs
As noted above, to switch to natural gas, you will likely need to seek a permit, install a gas line, remove your old oil or propane tank, and install a new natural gas burning tank. You may also need to install new appliances.
Much of this work depends on the size and scope of the project for your home. For example, you may need to install more or less distance for your gas line, and your new natural burning gas tank will vary in cost, depending on your preferences and needs.
Of course, all of the work can be performed by a reliable HVAC company, like Emergency Maintenance Co.
— 5 Comments —