Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Gas Furnace’

Electric vs. Gas: Which Type of Furnace is More Efficient?

Monday, February 8th, 2021
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If it’s this late into the winter season and you’re just now looking into having a new heater installed, chances are that something happened to your current one—and you’re in a bit of a rush to replace it. We get it. You want to get back to the comfort that you’re used to. But this really isn’t a decision you should rush! Plus this gives you a good opportunity to decide whether you want to stick with the fuel source you’ve always relied on, or go with something more efficient.

So what is more efficient? Answering this can be a little tricky, since efficiency is a rating of the heating output of your furnace compared to the amount of energy it actually uses. But this does not necessarily mean that a furnace with a higher efficiency rating will use less energy and therefore cost less to run, because an electric furnace could have a higher efficiency rating (called AFUE, which we’ll touch on more below) than a different model of gas furnace, but in general gas is a more affordable fuel source.

Read on to learn more!

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How Does a Gas Furnace Heat My Home?

Thursday, October 24th, 2013

Gas furnaces have proven to be reliable source of heat for many households, and in towns like Skokie IL, gas furnace repair services deal with the same basic technology used for decades. The components improve, the systems become more efficient, but gas furnaces are so prevalent because the fundamentals they use to heat your home remain unchanged. “How does a gas furnace heat my home?” you may be asking. The answers reveal much not just about how home heating works, but what happens when your gas furnace breaks down.

Most gas furnaces used “forced air” systems, which bear a certain resemblance to air conditioning systems (and which explain why your furnace may use the same system of ducts that your air conditioning system does). It starts with the thermostat, which detects when the temperature in your home drops below your prescribed level. That triggers the flow of gas into a combustion chamber, which is then lit by an igniter or a pilot light. The burning gas heats up the air very quickly. A fan or blower then moves the air into your duct system and throughout your home, warming the temperature until it’s comfortable.

It’s an effective system, though it requires a number of components to work in sync. When one of them fails, the entire system is compromised. Many times, the furnace will shut off when a problem arises, since the gas it uses to generate heat can become dangerous if it leaks out of the system. In other cases, such as an overload of the fan motor, the system will shut down to prevent further damage to other components.

If you know the answer to “how gas furnaces heat my home?” you’re better equipped to spot such problems and to summon a qualified repair service promptly. The experts at Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning handle Skokie, IL gas furnace repair and can correct any problems your furnace may be experiencing. Give us a call today to set up an appointment. We’ll discuss your options with you and implement a repair plan with your complete satisfaction in mind.

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