subject: How Gas vs Electric Heaters Affect Your Texas Electricity Bill [print this page] How Gas vs Electric Heaters Affect Your Texas Electricity Bill
When owning a home, you must understand the difference between a gas or electric heater. Depending on what is installed in your house, both the gas and the electric heaters have their advantages as well as their disadvantages which can affect your Texas electricity bill. You should take into consideration how often the heater is used by your household as well as the cost of energy in your area. Both heaters are very efficient, however, during the winter weather they can both cause your electricity or gas bill to increase dramatically.
Gas heaters usually burn propane or natural gas. The propane or natural gas is stored in a tank until ready to be used in the home. These gases can be found at the very bottom of the tank. In this way, it can take full advantage of the heat as it rises naturally. In the tank, the act of heating the water works as a cycle. The water at the bottom is heated first and then rises to the top which in turns moves the remaining cold water to the bottom to be heated. Likewise, the electric heaters operate in the exact same fashion as the gas ones with the exception of the usage of an energized copper coil being the water's heating source.
There are many advantages to installing a gas heater in your home. It costs a lot less to run a gas model than an electric one. In Texas, the rates of natural gas are much less than the electricity rates. Also, twice the hot water amount can be produced with a gas model than with an electric model, which means much higher electric bills. The water in the gas tanks is heated slower, which is good because energy is being conserved. Another great fact is that the user can control how hot the water gets and the rate that it is being heated. Also, they tend to burn cleaner air. More outages occur with electric heaters than with gas heaters. Also, if there is a gas outage, it is usually due to some form of natural disaster or an accident. Whatever the circumstance, it is immediately repaired because gas leaks or a ruptured line are considered a public hazard. Electrical heaters take a lot to longer to repair and the outages are much more frequent. This may not seem like a major issue but during the cold season, an outage can result in you having to leave your home if you own an electric heater.
Although, the features found in the gas models are great, you must remember there are some disadvantages of having this type of heater as well. A gas heater needs fossil fuels to work effectively. However, at times when there is a limited amount of these fossil fuels in stock then the cost of them tend to skyrocket, which will in turn result in your gas bill increasing significantly. Also, the earth is being greatly affected due to the carbon monoxide this gas releases as it burns. These heaters are not the way to go when wanting the keep the earth healthy, green, and pollution free. Another drawback is how much the gas rates fluctuate. These heaters require much more space than the electric models as well, because they are so much larger.
Having an electric heater has its advantages as well. They can be very convenient when compared to the bill. You have the choice of installing solar panels which can help to eliminate your electric bills completely. However, this option is not an option with a gas heater. This heater is also considered to be much safer. For example, if the heater was to be struck by something it won't result in an explosion unlike that of the gas models. Also, these heaters tend to heat up the house a lot quicker than the gas models, which is a great feature to have, especially during the cold season. Also, the gas models usually require a gas line to be in place, whereas with an electric model, it can simply be installed right into your home. Another advantage is that these heaters usually last much longer than the gas models because of the corrosion-resistant plastic that they are made of.
The disadvantage of having this type of heater is that the air quality being released is sometimes awful to smell. The heater tends to eject an uncomfortable burning odor as it heats up the house. Another big disadvantage is the amount of money that is needed to operate it.
Texas can get pretty cold during the winter so a good, durable heater is a necessity. However, you want a Texas electricity bill that is manageable and not over the top as well. A good way to manage your electric bill is to try and keep it at one temperature. In the winter, set the temperature to 68 degrees. Energy usage increases each time the temperature changes, even if it by a single degree. This is a minor thing that can be done to help along with choosing the heater that will work best in the area where you reside will also help lower your Texas electricity bill.
As you can see, both the gas and electric heaters have great advantages to owning them. However, they have their fair share of disadvantages as well. Both can be rather costly to operate during the winter weather in Texas. Therefore, it is entirely up to you to choose which heater is best suited for your household. The gas and the electric models are both very efficient and will do a great job of heating up your home in the winter. However, in terms of cost, the gas model would be the cheaper route to take over the electric model.
