Gas or Electric?
Updated: Dec. 07, 2010
I installed an electric furnace at the cottage and added a heat pump to provide air conditioning. I want to install the same system in my house, but have been advised to install a gas furnace with an air conditioner instead. What should I do?
The question of which one to use depends on where you live and the climate. Using electricity is the most expensive method to heat a house, except in Quebec, where electrical rates are the lowest in North America. If you live in an area where gas is readily available, and therefore inexpensive, using it and a separate air conditioner would be less expensive than the complete electric heat pump system. If however, you live in an area where gas is expensive, or perhaps not available at all, and you have to heat the house with electricity, the complete heat pump system will be better.
